Kindred Spirits
by LotusBlossomArt
Summary: Fem!ShinichixKaito Kid Pandora draws people together, before tearing them apart.
1. Lies

"Tantei-chan~" A teasing voice called out. A flustered girl, no older than seven, raced up the stairs faster. She needed to catch that thief, even if it would kill her.

She was struggling though. _This damn body_, she thought irritated. Pushing herself to the limit, the little girl finally made it to the top and opened the door that led to the roof. She was gasping for breathe. Her two pigtails were a mess. Her cheeks were red, stained with effort. Behind her glasses were two ocean blue orbs. They were the only feature that didn't keep up with the 'innocent girl' trend. They were sharp and fierce. They held wisdom.

And many lies.

Lies that would never be reveled, for the little girl had an excellent poker face. She was still completely out of breathe, but still managed to put one on for the man in front of her.

He was sitting at the edge of the roof, legs crossed, facing her. His top hat and monocle covered his face, making it almost impossible to tell who it was. A playful smirk danced on his face. He was clothed completely in white, which was an especially odd thing for a thief.

In his hand was a large gem. He tossed it up and down. Up and down.

The little girl regained her composure. She stared at the thief, her eyes borring into his like daggers. She spoke with much confidence. "What are you going to do now, Kid?" She asked skeptically.

The Phathom Thief Kid snickered. "What ever do you mean, Tantei-chan?" He countered, abusing the nickname he gave the little girl.

Before answering him, she reached down slowly and turned a knob on her sneakers. It made a small _click, click, click_ sound and began to glow with an unnatural light. Kid's smirked widened. He stood up, completely alert, but stayed where he was.

"I mean," the girl said answering his question, "are you just going to give the jewel back. Say, 'It's not the gem I'm looking for,' then ride off into the night with your handglider?" She watched him like a hawk after it's prey. Her sharp gazed never left him.

"That would be too boring! I like to make all my heists interesting and fun! Especially for you." He pointed at her suddenly. "Are you having fun, Tantei-chan?"

The girl smirked. She had a hand on a button on her belt. "Not especially."

"Hmm? Why's that?" Kid asked.

The girl pressed the button on her belt, not even bothering to respond. A soccer ball popped out of the contraption. She winded up her glowing shoes and kicked the ball, sending it toward the white thief at lightning speed.

He saw it coming already, though. He dodged it easily, jumping away from the roof's edged. The little girl wasn't done just yet. She raised her watch toward the sprinting Kid. Aiming as carefully as possible, she released a flying needle from the end of her watch with the intent to knock Kid out.

Kid skillfully avoided the needle. Cursing softly, the little girl aimed again and shot over and over again. The thief laughed arrogantly as he evaded each needle.

She soon ran out of needles. Kid, knowing this, slowed down to a stop in front of the little girl. Tossing her the gem, he said dramatically, "This is not the gem I'm looking for. But, it was fun. Farewell, Tantei-chan~" He then turned around before the little girl had a chance to grab him and jumped off the roof.

The girl looked over the side, just to see a white handglider flying farther and farther away. "Damnit!" She swore, slamming her fist into the roof's edge.

Not too far away, a mischevious Kid flew farther and farther. His twisted grin returned as he looked back and saw how flustered Tantei-chan was.

The handglider got lower and lower until Kid found a good place to land. Once his feet were safely on the ground, he folded up his handglider and took out his phone. He dialed a number and waited for the person to pick up.

Once he did, Kid said, "No, it wasn't it. Can you come pick me up, Jii-chan?"

An older man's voice answered from the other line agreeing to come for him. A few minutes later, a car came. Kid quickly climbed in. In the car, there was a change of clothes. Kid happily changed back into his regular clothes, assuming the identity of Kuroba Kaito and no longer Kaitou Kid.

He yawned. Without Tantei-chan constantly threatening to put him behind bars, he was bored. Kaito sighed and began to drift off into sleep.

On the other side of the city, the little girl was grudgingly getting scolded by an older teenager. She had long brown hair and pretty blue eyes. She was also extremely intimidating.

"It was dangerous. You know that, Conan-chan."

Conan put her head down shamefully. Her voice was now almost sickingly high pitched as she apologized. The teenager's expression softened and she also apologize for being harsh.

"It's alright, Ran-nee-chan." Conan assured her in a childish voice, "It was my fault anyway."

Ran smiled at her. "You're such a good kid, Conan-chan."

Conan nodded, not looking Ran in the eyes. _If only you knew, Ran_, Conan thought as she took her hand and exited the building the heist took place in._ If only you knew that I've been lying to you. That there is no Edogawa Conan. That I'm really your best friend who disappeared. That I'm Kudo Shinichi._

The Shinichi Kudo, the great Detective of the East, was drugged with a special poison meant to kill her. It happened when she witnesses an illegal transaction with some shady men. She aggressively refers to them as The Black Oraganization. Instead of ending her life, the poison backfired and reverted Shinchi's age. She went from an aspiring seventeen year old back to a little seven year old. Back to elementary school. Back to little kid clothes. And worst of all, back to not being listened to.

That was the worst for Shinichi. She was used to everyone wanting to hear her opinion. Now any adult shrugs her off like she doesn't know what she's talking about. To be completely fair, most seven year olds usually sputtered random nonsense.

After being poisoned, Shinichi raced back to house, now in little kid form. She lucky stumbled upon a family friend, Professor Hiroshi Agasa. He lived across the street from her and acted as a parental figure since her real parents were somewhere in America, probably partying and having the time of their lives.

She trusted Agasa. So when he told her it would be dangerous to tell anyone else, she complied and changed her identity. Of course, her childhood best friend Ran had to come over to her house when Shinichi was still deciding who she should be.

Scared that Ran would figure out that the little girl was actually her, Shinichi popped out the lenses of her dad's spare glasses and put them on. When Ran found her and asked for a name, she panicked, looked at her bookshelf, and combined the first two names she saw. Conan Doyle and Edgar Allen Poe, whose name roughly translated to 'Edogawa Rampo' in her mind.

"Edogawa Conan!" Is what Shinchi blurted out, not caring how boyish it sounded (especially because she already had a boyish name to begin with). It was such an odd name, but Ran accepted it without question.

'Conan' decided that it was best to live with Ran for a while. Her dad was a private detective so she thought it would be easier to track down the Black Organization using his expertise.

Well, that didn't work. Ran's dad, Mouri Kogorou, was a private detective, but a very inept one. Whether it was out of pity or she was just sick of seeing him fail each case, Conan decided to help him out. Though helping him out really meant secretly doing all the work herself and then make it seem like Kogorou did it himself by using a voice changing ribbon.

With Conan's help, Kogorou managed to become a renowned detective and also be known as the Sleeping Kogorou since Conan has to knock him out using her stun wrist watch to get him to solve the case. Unfortunately, Korogou did not help at all with finding the Black Organization.

After a few months, with no leads once so ever, a little girl was found by Agasa. Agasa later adopted her and renamed her Haibara Ai. This little girl, though was later discovered to be a former member of the Balck Organization. Her code name was Sherry and she was the one who created the drug that shrank both her and Conan, APTX 4869.

Conan was first disgusted that she used to work for the Black Organization, but after learning that she actually betrayed the organization after they killed her sister, she begins to form a bond with Ai. They both have a strong sense of understanding since they both are under the effects of APTX 4869 and both have intelligent minds hidden beneath their child-like appearance.

No matter how close they are, Conan seemingly has feelings for Ran, but refuses to admit it out of pur embarrassment. She especially touchy about the subject due to the fact that their both the same gender. She would do anything to protect Ran, even sacrifice herself.

Even with a shrunken body, her mind is still as brilliant as before!


	2. Breakthrough

A/N: Hmm, I don't really keep a good updating schedule, do I?

* * *

Kaito layed on his bed. He sighed dramatically and stared at his clock. 10:38. He still had another two hours before his heist. What was he going to do till them? He groaned, boredom consuming him. He closed his eyes waiting for some idea to pop in his head.

Then, it hit him. Why not check on his favorite chibi detective? Kaito threw down a smoke bomb and changed out of his school uniform and into his Kaitou Kid costume in a flash. He snickered at his new found motivation, jumped out the window, opened his handglider, and headed for Beika City.

Once there, Kid soared through the air looking for Mouri's Detective Agency. He knew Tantei-chan lived there as a 'freeloader', but never knew why. Was it because her parents left her alone? Did Tantei-chan even have parents, or did she run away?

He wasn't sure but he honestly didn't care. Tantei-chan was alive and well in a city not to far from his (if you fly of course). That's all he needed to know.

After flying around for a while, Kid spotted the unmistakable sign. _There it is_, he thought happily. _Gotta stay undetected though._ Kid flew down onto a building opposite of the agency. He rummaged through his pockets until he pulled out a pair of binoculars.

Looking through them inside the agency, he saw her. Her glasses, adorable cowlick, and cute face all filled Kid with warmth. She sat on the couch reading a book. Sherlock Holmes, Kid presumed. He knew that the detective was her very idol and she wanted to be just like him. Cute. He smiled at that. Not a smirk, but a genuine smile.

Until her piercing blue eyes left the book and met his. They continued the awkward staring contest until she narrowed her eye into a glare. Kid withdrew panicked, but amazed. Tantei-chan managed to spot him with no clues so far away. How?

Pondering this, Kid jumped off the building and opened his handglider. While he flew away from the agency, he heard shouts and gasps.

"Is that the infamous Kaitou Kid!?"

"No way! Where!?... Oh my G-"

"I love you, Kid-sama!"

Kid snickered at all the different reactions. He couldn't help but wonder how Tantei-chan would respond.

"She'd probably just shrug it off. Silly Tantei-chan~" He laughed to himself.

* * *

"Stupid Kid." Conan growled. Stalking her like that. "Such an idiot."

"Who's an idiot?" A gruff voice asked her. Kogorou was sitting, legs crossed on his desk with a half empty beer can in his hand. His show must've ended for him to hear Conan, whom is usually just ignored.

Startled, Conan quickly said, "J-Just a boy in my class, that's all." She let out a shaky, forced laugh.

"Huh? Aren't you a bit young to be liking boys?" Kogorou asked skeptically. Conan was surprised that his drunk mouth was asking such serious questions. Usually the detective would red-faced yelling things about his idol, Yoko-chan.

"Eh? You like a boy, Conan-chan?" Conan jumped as she heard Ran's voice. She looked at the teenager (who was just merely covered by a towel) and blushed. She must've just come out of the shower.

"N-N-No! It's not l-like that!" Conan stumbled over her words. She wasn't even trying to act cute. It was just her *dere side showing.

Ran laughed and patted her head. She whispered so her father couldn't hear, "It's fine to have crushes at this age. Don't listen to Otou-san. In fact, I liked someone at your age too." Conan's blush deepened, knowing Ran was actually talking about her.

When she first shrunk and Ran took her home, Ran let he in on a little secret. While walking down the sidewalk, she confessed to Conan that she liked her childhood friend, Kudo Shinichi. Not knowing Conan was actually her crush, Ran continued to tell her secrets.

In other words, if Ran found out Conan was really Shinichi, there would be some... complications. Painful (for Ran was a karate champion) complications.

But Conan didn't think about that. All she could do is blush beet red and try to convince Ran that she didn't like any boy in her class.

"Hey, tell me Conan-chan. Is he cute? Older?" Ran grinned at her discomfort. Kogorou rolled his eyes and grabbed the television remote, changing it to another Yoko special.

"It really isn't anyone."

_Ring, Ring!_

Conan's phone rang, saving her from the conversation. She quickly answered it. "Hello?" Conan called into the phone.

"_Kudo-chan_." Came Haibara's calm, collected voice.

* * *

Kid was ready. He had his heist all planned out. The layout of the building was fresh in his memory and his fun little traps were set. He had backup plans, and backup backup plan, just in case something went wrong.

But he knew. Knew that none of these plans would be followed. Tantei-chan was there. Whenever she attends his heist, she always manages to screw up everything (in the best, most entertaining way possible).

Kid smirk as he cut the power off. Confused yells and shrieks could be heard from the room where the gem was. Inspector Nakamori's squad was in utter chaos. Knowing this, Kid calmly waltzed into the dark room, took the gem and walked out.

_Easy_, Kid thought, examining the gem. He paused. Too easy. Where was the challenge? The thrill? Where was Tantei-chan to catch him off guard?

Kid turned around to look at the room. The power had returned and he could see the task force slowly collect themselves. No Tantei-chan.

He frowned and muttered, "Did you catch a cold within these two hours?" No response. He was really hoping to hear a sly comeback, but no such thing came.

Kid sighed. He could hear Nakamori yell, "There's Kid!" and see him point at him, but the same rush just wasn't there. He knew the task force was comprised of idiots whom he could easily avoid. And that just made Kid depressed.

Still, he had to make it to the roof and see if the gem had a reddish glow. He quickly made his way upstairs, hoping to see Tantei-chan there, waiting for him with her watch aimed at his face.

He pushed open the door leading to the roof and pouted. Still no Tantei-chan. He slowly walked to the roof's edge, bored out of his mind. He lazily held the gem to the moon. Nothing. It didn't even glow the slightest bit. He sighed, shoulders slumped.

"Now, that's not like you at all. Where's that famous Kaitou Kid smirk?" A stoical voice called out. Kid turned to the voice, excited.

"Tantei-chan~?" He questioned, happiness filling his voice. His happy mood melted when he realized that the voice was not cute, little Tantei-chan.

It belonged to an older teen. She was tall, 5'6". Only two inches shorted than him. Her long, dark hair flowed behind her, and she had an odd cowlick, somewhat resembling Tantei-chan's. Her long bangs hid her eyes. She was in her school uniform, arms crossed as if she was waiting for him.

But Kid, didn't care. He mistook the girl for Tantei-chan and he felt stupid. "Oh," he responded, "I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else."

The girl smirked. "You mean Conan-chan?"

Kid looked up, his attention now belonging to the girl. "How do you know Tantei-chan?" He asked with curiousity.

"Does it matter?"

_Yes, it does matter_, Kid thought irritably. Still keeping his poker face, he instead replied, "Where is she? Did she catch a cold or something?"

The girl shook her head. "Conan-chan's parents came today," Kid froze. "and she went back to America with them." He felt his blood go cold. Tantei-chan was... gone?

"She's not coming back?" He couldn't keep the hurt away from his voice. Tantei-chan was like his little sister. Losing her hit him really hard.

The girl nodded. "Sorry." She said with zero emotion. Kid glared at her.

She sounded so full of herself. Sort of like Tantei-chan.

Her hair was irritating him. Except for her cowlick which actually reminded him of Tantei-chan.

She poised herself so arrogantly. A habit Tantei-chan did when she cornered Kid.

Her oceanic blue eyes dug into his skin. Tantei-chan's eyes had that same effect.

His eyes soften as he thought of something. "You and Tantei-chan. You two aren't related, are you?"

That question caught the teen off guard. "No. Why would you think that?"

"It's just that, you remind me of her. A lot." Kid looked over the girl again and couldn't help but think that she was just an older version of Tantei-chan. Minus the glasses and pigtails, of course.

The girl shook her head nervously. "Look, Conan and I aren't-"

She was cut off by the roof door getting slammed opened and Inspector Nakamori shouting, "I've got you now, Kid!"

Kid jumped, startled by Nakamori's cries. He quickly composed himself and threw the gem to the girl. "My apologizes," he said remembering his poker face, "but I must go." And he jumped off the roof.

The gem was safely in the girl's hands. She sighed in relief. He didn't recognized her. She handed the gem to Inspector Nakamori, ignoring any scolding for 'letting him get away' he gave her.

She then went home, promising to herself that she'll actually try to capture Kid next time, instead of just talking to him.

* * *

*Refers to the cute, embarrassed side of a tsundere/kuudere


	3. Chance

A/N: You can tell in the beginning I wasn't really into it. Sorry.

* * *

"_Hello_?"

"Kudo-chan." Ai Haibara called into the phone. She had found it, the cure to the APTX 4869, the poison which had shrunk both her and Kudo.

Well, _maybe_.

The antidote had worked for a full two weeks on the guiena pigs and only one of them had died (which was an incredible feat for Ai). Ai had worked hard for she knew Kudo desperately wanted to leave Conan behind and continue her life together with Ran. And leave Ai and the Detective Boys behind.

The thought had sadden her quite a bit, but not as much as seeing Kudo with that depressed look of never being able to return to her previous life again. So, Ai finally decided to tell her about the new breakthrough.

"_Haibara? What do you want?_" Her voice was like silk to Ai's ears. She would miss the childish, yet mature tone.

Ai quickly shook the thought away. She said in her stoical, teasing voice, "Hmm? Nothing much. I just thought you would like to know that I've found a cure to the APTX 4869."

"_Eh!?_" Ai smirked at Kudo's reaction,_ "R-Really? I'll be right there!_" And Kudo hung up without a second thought.

Ai sighed and smiled softly. "What? I don't even get a 'thank you?'"

"What was that, Ai-kun?" Agasa asked as he walked into the living room.

"Ah, nothing. Can you prepare something to eat? Kudo-chan's coming over to talk about then new antidote."

Agasa stood there surprised. "You made another prototype antidote?"

Ai shook her head. She put her phone down and walked into the basement. "It's not a prototype. It's the real cure." She called to Agasa.

"Real cure? You made permanent cure?" Agasa called back.

Ai returned from the basement with a pill. She placed it on the table and sat down, facing it. "Maybe," Ai responded, " thought maybe not. So far, the results have been positive."

Agasa nodded at the eightteen year old girl with the appearance of a grade schooler before him. He was thoroughly impressed with her. There was one thing that was bothering him, though. "Ai-kun, the antidote is safe, right?"

"Safe? Well, it's the 'safest' I've made. But still, every antidote has its risks." Ai shook her head. "I doubt anything bad will happen."

"Ai-"

"Hakase! I'm coming in!" There was that pretty voice again. She had already made it to Agasa's, showing that she was extremely excited to turn back into Shinichi.

The front door opened, and Kudo stood there with her highschool uniform in hand. A big smirk was on her face. She had deliberately taken out her pigtails, but oddly enough kept her glasses on.

"You came fast." Ai commented.

Kudo nodded sitting down with Ai. "I used the *skateboard to get here and I quickly went to my room and got my clothes."

Ai paused. "Kudo-chan, you don't want to change back now, do you?" Ai thought that they would talk it over today and actually take the pill later in the week. Kudo still needed to say goodbye to the Detective Boys, Ran, and a number if other people. As Conan, of course.

But she just shook her head. "I need to change tonight." She then ducked her head down hiding a faint blush. "I-It's Ran's **birthday tomorrow... I promised myself and her that I would somehow get Shinichi there for her."

Ai scoffed. She really was an idiot, wasn't she? "What would you have done if I hadn't made up another antidote?"

"I would've figured out something." Kudo was impulsive as ever. And that just made Ai face palm mentally and worried relentlessly. One day, Kudo's quick nature and curiousity will lead her into trouble.

"Are you sure about this, Shinichi?" Agasa asked with a concerned tone.

Kudo nodded. "I'll make it up to the Detective Boys after I turn back." She promised. "Can I have the antidote now?"

She held out her hand. Haibara frowned,but gave her the pill nonetheless. "Did you at least think this through, Kudo-chan?"

She looked Ai right in the eyes, oceanic gaze as sharp as ever. "Nope."

And she swallowed the pill.

* * *

Seconds passed. Then a minute. Then a few minutes. Shinichi sighed. "Are you sure this was- _Gah!"_

She was cut off as a sharp pain traveled up her chest. She gasped, taking a big intake of air before another unbearable pain shot through her entire body. It hurt. Much more than usual. She began to lose her composure and fall off the couch.

Agasa quickly swooped in and caught her. "Take her to the bathroom." Haibara commanded. Agasa nodded as Shinichi writhed in his arms.

The trip was agonizing for Shinichi. Every little motion cause terrible aches. She groaned, pain eating away at her.

Once the trio made it to the bathroom, Shinichi was set carefully onto the floor. Agasa then was abruptly kicked out. Shinichi was happy for that. He might've been close enough to be considered family, but that didn't mean she wanted him to see her like this. Or the aftermath.

Haibara slowly started to strip Shinichi from her elementary school clothes. Her ribbon, watch, glasses, and power shoes were set in the corner, away from the simple blue blazer, black skirt, white undershirt, etc. Then, Haibara stood up and said, "Don't die." as she left Shinichi alone.

Despite telling her not to die, Shinichi couldn't help but think that was a good option. The pain clouded her thoughts, as she could barely tell what was right or wrong, smart or idiotic. All she wanted was for the burning stings to leave her.

She wheezed, all energy taken. _Please_, she prayed, _let it be over_. Her body began steaming.

Convulsions started. Daggers began boring into her heart. Her bones were melting. _Make it stop. Stop it. End me. Kill me._

More sharp pains came in patterns, all attacking her heart area._ Kill me. Kill me. Kill me_.

Then, all at once, the terrible pain ceased. Shinichi breathed in and out, collecting her thoughts. Was it over?

Just as she thought that, a heavy weight stomped down crushing her, stabbing her, burning her. She let out a in humane scream. Squirming like a dying worm, Shinichi began to glow. Her body became bigger. She was maturing. Her high-pitched shrieks turned into more deeper screams.

The heavy pain was lifted, but the burning sensation didn't stop. Shinichi curled her now teenage body into a ball, and sobbed from the lingering pain. She felt shameful as she ran through her thoughts. She wanted to end her life from the pain.

Shinichi shivered. Was dying an better option if that horrific spasm continued? Would it be stupid to end the painright there, then suffer through it. Shinichi shook her head. No, of course death is a terrible option. People needed her, and she wouldn't let them down due to some hardships. She made it through. She'll always make it through.

Shinichi slowly stood up, wobbly and weakly. She breathed, always remembered to breathe. Seizing her school uniform, she walked to the wall and leaned against it for support. _Come on, Shinichi. You can do it,_ she cheered herself on.

She began to put her undergarments on. Then her bra, followed by her shirt. She was on a roll so far. Tie next. Then blazer. She struggled as she slipped her legs through the skirt, for they were still extremely stiff.

She moaned in relief as she finished. Wanting to see the effects of the antidote, Shinichi made her way to the mirror. She was a mess. Her hair was messy, still holding her odd cowlick. She was incredibly thin and pale. She had dark rings under her eyes, but were those really that new?

Her uniform was a mess. Some of the buttons were in the wrong holes and her tie was not tied on correctly. Shinichi sighed and began fixing her broken image. She felt better than before since all of the pain was gone. Her stomach pained with hunger, though after that episode, she could deal with it.

After examining and fixing herself the best she could, Shinichi grabbed her watch (for it was the only thing from her elementary gadgets that fit her) and exited the bathroom. She quickly checked the watch. It was half past eleven. she was in there for nearly thirty minutes. It felt much slower than that, but Shinichi wasn't going to question it.

She entered the living room the be greeted by the beautiful smell of food. Curry rice. Not her ***favorite, but it still smelled delicious. Agasa set it down on the table. Shinichi sat down and devoured the dish. Agasa chuckled at that. He's never seen the girl eat so readily.

"So, how'd it go?" Haibara asked, not even looking up from the book she was reading.

Still eating the scraps, Shinichi replied, "Terrible."

Haibara raised an eyebrow, but still refused to act like she cared. "Oh? Do tell."

"Painful, burning. The usual, only this time it was ten times worse."

"You didn't die so I assume it's a sucess, right?"

"Well," Shinichi greedily gulped down a glass of water, "I would think so." She began picking every grain of rice from the dish.

"We called the Mouri's," Agasa cut in, "and told them that Conan's parents were here to surprise her and take her home. We also said Conan had to leave right away or she would miss the flight and she was sorry she couldn't say goodbye."

Shinichi paused. "What did she say?"

"She was upset, but happy for Conan." Haibara replied.

"I see." Shinichi looked down at her watch again. 11:39. "Hakase. There's one more person I have to say a proper goodbye to."

"Who's that?"

"Can you possibly drive me to Ekoda?"

* * *

*Bah, it's nearly 11 at night, so let's pretend that the skateboard doesn't run on solar power/shot

**Aoyama-sensei won't tell us her official birthday so she's just going to share with her mother on October 10th/shot again

***Curry rice is a fairly sweet dish and Shin-chan don't like them sweets/shot for bad grammarz


	4. Reunion

A/N: Oh, God. While trying to select this chapter to copy and paste it here, I accidentally pressed the space bar on my iPad. Had a heart attact, looked up how to undo, and now I realized there was a button in the corner by the ABC key. Always good to know...

* * *

Lunch break rolled around and it had been eeriely calm all morning in Ekoda High School class 2-B. Much too calm.

Students walked in clusters, each of them watching each other's backs. Teachers were paranoid, barely able to continue their lesson in peace. Nakamori Aoko was especially worried. Her childhood bestest friend was quiet. Looking out the window. _Quietly_.

"Say, Kaito." Aoko began once lunch break started. Kuroba Kaito looked at her, a blank look on his face. "A-Are you feeling alright?" Aoko knew that he still wouldn't be acting so... so... out of it even if he had caught something. He would usually still have his signature grin and mischevious pranks.

But Kaito only sighed. "She wasn't really my *imouto. But it still feels like she was. She could at least said goodbye to her not-really-onii-san." He mumbled.

"Eh?" Aoko was beyond confused. And disturbed. Kaito had a little sister. No, wait. He didn't have a little sister? She left. But are they related?

Aoko yelled out in frustration and pulled out a mop from seemingly no where. Kaito snapped out of his trance and jumped out of his seat to avoid his childhood friend's mop-fu. "Say things that make sense, BaKaito!" Aoko roared, using the insulting nickname she gave Kaito. She swung the mop, aiming for Kaito's spiky hair.

"What did I do now, Ahoko?!" Kaito countered back with her nickname. He shifted to the left just in time as the mop whipped passed his ear.

"You're creeping everyone out! You're not acting normal and it's scaring everyone!" She then threw the mop, hitting Kaito square in the chest. She huffed in annoyance. "Give a better explanation."

"I-"

"He's sulking because his favorite Tantei is gone." A British accented voice interrupted. Kaito looked at Saguru Hakuba questionably. "Isn't that right, Kaitou Kid?" Hakuba sneered.

Kaito groaned. "Not this again. Listen, for the thousandth time, I'm not Kaitou Kid!"

"Then do tell, why are you sad?" A smirk was glued onto the half-brit's face.

"Someone I was close to left. She was like an imouto to me." Kaito pouted. "She didn't even come to say bye."

Hakuba rolled his eyes. That idiot thief actually got close to that little detective. "What did she look like?"

"She had glasses, pigtails, and-" Kaito paused. He almost just gave himself away. "she was a middle schooler and was German." _Smooth Kaito,_ he thought to himself sarcastically. _Real smooth._

"Hmm. Are you sure she wasn't a Teitan Elementary School student, 2'6", 52.9lbs, from Japanese decent?" Hakuba said with a wry smile.

Kaito and Aoko looked at him, slightly horrified. Kaito then cleared his throat. "It's really creepy that you know such exact numbers, Hakuba. But, you're wrong. She's in middle school and is German." He tried, sticking with the same story he used before.

Hakuba smirked. He walked to his seat as the bell rang, signaling lunch break was over. "Whatever you say." He said slyly.

* * *

Shinichi was irritated. At what? Nothing really. She was just annoyed.

Then, she felt depressed.

Then, she felt oddly happy.

Haibara Ai watched Shinichi with amusement as her moods quickly shifted. After returning to her normal body, Shinichi was flooded with all these 'fun' teenage hormones and feelings.

"Haibara. When can I leave my house? I need to see Ran." She said with longing in her voice. They were currently in Shinichi's library, sitting and waiting.

"Not yet." She looked down at her notes. "I still need to monitor you."

Shinichi groaned. "I thought the whole point of taking the antidote yesterday was so I could see Ran today."

"Stop complaining. I'll let you go see her around five." Haibara promised. She grabbed a pencil and wrote on her notes, 'Subject becomes whiney and annoying. Wait, when was that ever different?'

Shinichi looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes at what the Evil Eyed Yawny Girl wrote. _You just had to write down that last part, didn't you_, Shinchi thought, irritated once again.

"Please let me go, Haibara. I need to see Ran." Shinichi resorted to pleading after her anger had dissipated. She was feeling depressed again.

"You don't need to see her. You want to see her."

"Please. Ai, please." Shinichi hung her head down. She felt low. Pleading to Haibara like this was shameful, but she couldn't help it. Her teenage estrogen was longing for her crush. _Badly_.

Haibara was taken aback. Shinichi had used her first name. Was she stupid, or really that desperate?

She sighed. Both, probably. "You have an hour." Shinichi look up with newfound hope. "But. If you come back any later, I will personally chain you to your chair until I'm done observing you."

Shinichi shivered inwardly, knowing that she wasn't kidding. "I'll be back in an hour." She jumped out of her chair, changed out of her pajama's, and ran out door.

She was happy again. She couldn't wait to surprise Ran. It took her twenty minutes to sprint to Mouri agency. She could've done it faster, but her body was still exhausted from the recent change.

She quickly jogged up the steps of the agency, tripping over a few. She stood at Ran's door, hand ready to knock. But, she stopped herself.

"What if I put Ran in danger by coming here?" Shinichi muttered to herself. Before, it didn't matter as much since she would usually just change back to Conan. What about now? Would going to school attract attention? Enough for the Black Organization to notice Kudo Shinichi wasn't dead?

Shinichi groaned, letting her hand fall to the side. "This was a terrible idea." She sank to the ground and leaned against the wall.

"S-Shinichi?" Shinichi looked toward the stairs. Ran stood there, groceries in hand, surprised. "Shinichi?" She asked with more confidence.

Shinichi sighed. _Well, looks like I have no choice now_. "Ah, Happy Birthday, Ran." She stood up and gave her a nervous smile.

Ran gasped, dropped the groceries, and kicked Shinichi in the face. "_Gah_!" She yelled out in pain. Shinichi fell to the ground, bleeding from her nose. "_Ouch_! What the hell, Ran!?"

Shinichi then felt warmth surround her. All frustration and some of the pain disappeared. She accepted the hug Ran was giving her. "S-Stupid!" Ran cried. "Why didn't you call?"

Guilt began to bubble up in Shinichi's stomach. "Sorry, Ran. You know. Cases." She said lamely. They sat there, hugging each other until Shinichi interrupted the moment, "Um, Ran. I might be bleeding on your shirt."

"Ah," Ran pulled away, leaving Shinichi lonely and cold, "come in. I'll clean up your face." She stood up and held out a hand to Shinichi.

Shinichi nodded and gratefully took her hand. Ran pulled her up and led her inside.

Once Shinichi was on the couch, Ran cleaned her nose with a wet tissue. Silence filled the room._ If I'm endangering Ran's life for this awkward, silent moment_, Shinichi thought as Ran walked away with the bloody tissues, _then I will purposely go back to Haibara late. _

"Ran." Shinichi called, trying to break the awkwardness. Ran walked back in with more tissues. "I'm done with the cases."

No reply.

"I'm done with all my cases and will be going to school again." Shinichi tried again.

Silence. She wouldn't even look at her in the eye.

"Ran, look at me-"

"I heard you." Shinichi's eyes widened at how fragile Ran's voice sounded. "I'm happy." She looked up at Shinichi with glassy eyes. Her voice cracked, "So happy. This is the best present you've given me."

Her tears fell onto Shinichi open hand. Shinichi stared at them. She was beginning to feel sad again, but this time it wasn't caused by her hormones.

"D-Don't ever leave again, S-Shinichi. Pl-Please." Ran begged looking up to her with sorrowful eyes.

Shinichi closed her eyes, not wanting to see Ran's crying face. "I've caused you to hurt, haven't I?" She said softly.

Ran silently nodded, tears leaving little trails down her cheek. Shinichi grabbed her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I promise. I won't leave again."

And Ran pulled her childhood friend in for a long, comforting hug.

"How sweet." Not too far away from the agency, a venomous voice rang out. The very building Kid had used to spy on Conan the night before, was occupied again.

The woman had long, curly blond hair, was clothed in all black, and had the most vicious gaze. She smirked, watching the two friends have their moment through a pair of binoculars.

"But aren't Bullets a bit too dangerous for Angels?"

* * *

*Surprisingly, not many people knew imouto meant "little sister" when they read over my story...

A/N: Is it just me, or is my vocabulary getting less and less creative?


	5. Distraction

_Shinichi layed on the cold, unforgiving floor. Her breath was ragged and uneven. Handcuffs kept her wrists together and kept her connected to a pole. She was defenseless. She was scared. She was crying._

Ran struggled against a man with long sliver hair. He had his hand over her mouth. No final words for her. His gaze sent shivers through her spine. He was out for blood.  
  
Click.

_The man slowly brought a gun up to Ran's temple. Shinichi yelled in protest. The man laughed at her feeble attempts to stop him._

"You survived, Kudo. That was your first mistake. You should've just died at that damn amusement park." He smirked. Shinichi screamed, squirmed, and cursed as the man dug the barrel into Ran's head. She winced, terror clouding her senses. "Now I'll have to waste magazines on your little friend here."

"Stop! Don't touch her! She has nothing to do with this!" Her bonds tightened as she attempted to pull away from the pole.

"Your second mistake was ditching Conan and turning back into Shinichi Kudo. This," he played with the trigger of the gun, "is all your fault."

"Don't shoot Ran! Kill me! Kill ME!" Shinichi screamed. She kicked and whined, making it seem like she was throwing a temper tantrum. Ran sobbed at the broken sight of her childhood friend. The great high school detective was lowly yelling a criminal to end her life.

The man let out a wicked snicker. "Your final mistake is this cowardly begging. You can't even die with your pride anymore." He paused, letting Shinchi take it in. "Don't worry, I'll kill you. Mouri first, Mentantei-san." He mocked cruelly.

Ran looked at Shinichi. Tears flowed out of her eyes and she shook her head violently. 

(What was she trying to tell her?)

**Bang!**

_Shinichi saw red and black mix together as Ran's limp body fell onto the cracked cement. It was a sickening combination.  
_  
"_Hah_!" Shinichi sat up, gasping. She was sprawled out on her bed with a cold sweat. Her body shook uncontrollably. Ran.

She was gripping her night shirt tightly. Ran. Ran. Ran.

She wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. Gin.

_You're okay. _She shivered violently one last time before settling her body.

"No, I'm not."

_Ran's alright_. The bed creaked in protest as she sat on the edge.

"For now."

_He's doesn't know who you are_. She slowly got off the bed and walked to the kitchen.

"He'll find out."

Shinichi paused. She let out a shaky laugh. "Am I schizophrenic or something?" The coffee maker greeted Shinichi with a beep. She took the pot and filled it with water.

While the coffee was being made, Shinichi looked at the clock. 11:00 in the morning. She slept a whole sixteen hours, yet she still felt restless.

The coffee was ready. Shinichi poured it into a cup and drank it black. She moaned in delight. The bitterness appealed to her taste buds. Taking another sip, she sat down at the table. After draining three cups of the bitter liquid, Shinichi felt her stomach growl. "That's right. Bodies need food, too."

She put the empty coffee cup in the sink and went back to her room. Putting on the first clothes she saw, she realized they hung loosely on her figure. She examined her arm. Outlines of her bones were easily seen. Shinichi sighed.

Once she was done making herself look presentable, she strolled out of her house and begin to walk to the Beika district, looking for something to eat.

* * *

The inspector's face caused Shinichi to chuckle. His eyes held a mix of surprise and irritation. Nakamori-keibu was nothing like the easy-going Megure-keibu.

But Shinichi still had the audacity to waltz into the station and ask to examine Kaitou Kid's newest heist note. No one seemed to immediately recognized her, though in their defense, she had a cap and sunglasses on.

"Who're you?" The inspector asked through gritted teeth.

Shinichi smirked. "Someone sounds stressed." She removed her glasses and cap in an arrogant manner. "I'm Kudo Shinichi, a high school detective." She placed her acessories on the inspector's desk and sat down. A few officers stared at her with awe, while others pondered the name.

"Kudo Shinichi, huh?" Nakamori scoffed. "I appreciate you coming here, but we're doing just fine. We don't need help from another high school detective or whatever."

"I see. Then, tell me. What is Kid going steal, and when is he going to steal it?" Shinichi crossed her legs, an amused expression danced on her face. Man, was it good to be back. Messing with the inspector was ten times more fun as a high schooler.

"T-That information isn't going to be released to the public!" Nakamori sputtered. Shinichi snickered.

"Uh, Nakamori-keibu." An officer shyly interrupted the conversation.

"What now?!" Nakamori roared.

"Now, now, Nakamori-keibu. Remember your blood pressure." Shinichi raised an eyebrow as a Holmes cosplayed walked into view. She loved Holmes as much as the next detective, but really? It had to be extremely hot in that outfit. "Ah, who is this?" He asked as he spotted Shinichi.

"This Kudo Sachiko." Nakamori answered gruffly. Shinichi sighed._ I hope you didn't mess up my name just because it's more common for boys_, she thought sourly while glaring at the inspector.

"Nakamori-keibu. It's Kudo Shinichi." The shy officer corrected.

The cosplayer's eyes widened at the sound of the name. "Kudo Shinichi-san. The high school Detective of the East. Where did you disappear to?"

Shinichi avoided his eyes. "Places. I had a lot of undercover cases and such."

He nodded. "You've been off the scene for eight months, twelve days, six hours, forty-three minutes, and twenty-nine seconds. No wait. Nineteen seconds... Hmm? What's wrong?"

Shinichi had a disturbed look on her face. _This guy..._

"D-Don't worry, Kudo-san. Hakuba-san is just very accurate when it comes to numbers." The officer laughed uncomfortably, showing that the cosplayer still scared him a little, too.

"Hakuba? Hakuba Saguru?" Shinichi questioned, shock leaving her.

"Oh, how rude of me. My name is Hakuba Saguru, England's own high school detective." He gave a confident smile while holding out his hand.

Shinichi nodded. "I thought you looked familiar." She took his hand and shook it.

"Nakamori-keibu." Hakuba looked to the inspector as Shinichi pulled away. "May we see the heist note?"

"Well..." The inspector grumbled to himself knowing that Hakuba would make him show them the note (Shinichi would've, too, but he didn't know that). He opened a beige folder and took out a slip of paper. He reluctantly gave it to the two teenagers.

Taking the note, they realized it was completely in *English. Nonetheless, both were able to understand it with ease.

_There are many brilliant stars that shine at midnight,  
I shall lead one to the moon after you've red this,  
I challenge you, my detectives,  
After the Man and i strike nine.  
_

Shinichi instantly noticed three odd things. Kid spelled read incorrectly, didn't capilize I, and capilized man. She stared at the note, knowing there must be some trick to it. Who was the man he was talking about? What exactly is he striking? Why did he misspell read?

"Kid is going to steal the Star of India that is being displayed at National Showa Memorial Museum in Tokyo at midnight. Simple as that." Nakamori informed.

"No. It couldn't possibly be that simple." Hakuba mumbled.

Nakamori scoffed. "Kid's given us notes that just told us all about his heist before. No riddles and no tricks."

Shinichi shook her head. "He wouldn't just spell a word as easy as read wrong. And he didn't capitalize man. Do you even understand what the last line means?"

"Probably nothing!" Nakamori spat. He pushed Hakuba and dragged Shinichi out of his office. "I'm busy! If you want to help, come at 11!" He slammed the door in their faces.

"What a temper." Shinichi stated.

Hakuba nodded. "Here." He handed Shinichi a piece of paper. "I copied down the note. Call me if you figure it out." His cell phone number was on the bottom right corner.

"Don't tell me this is a cheesy way to give me your number." Shinichi asked with a deadpan look.

Hakuba blushed, red as a tomato. "_No!_ I just thought- I mean-"

Shinichi cut him off with a sigh. "I was just messing with you."

"O-Of course." He coughed awkwardly.

Shinichi began to walk away. "Only five hours, twelve minutes and fifty-six seconds until the heist." She imitated looking at her watch.

Hakuba's blush deepened.

* * *

*I don't know how Kanji works and I know most of the riddle wouldn't make sense if it was in it. So, can you figure it out? (Probably not, because it was hella difficult to make and I had to do tons of research and it still doesn't really make sense TTATT...) Hint: Tamil is a language...

A/N: Wow. Failed Angst at the beginning, Failed Shinichi in the middle, and Failed Hakuba throughout this whole fic so far... God damnit...  
Anyway... I remember the first chapter being really good and formal like, but now it's... just... _informal_, I guess. I don't know. Do you like it more casual or should I try to go back?


	6. Trouble

Shinichi yawned. She decided to sleep for another hour, but woke up from another nightmare. She winced thinking about it. Gin and Vermounth had teamed up and to terrorize her parents. They both ended up dead in front of her eyes. She prayed that these terrors weren't preminations to come.

Trying to push the thought out her mind, Shinichi read the Kid note over again. She figured out that the Star of India was _not_ going to be stolen tonight. It had to be a red star jewel National Showa Memorial Museum. That left The Crimson Star of Siberia, The Delong Star Ruby, The Star of Bharany Ruby, and The Rosser Reeves Star Ruby. That definitely narrowed it down (Note the sarcasm).

Another yawn escaped her as she sat back. Her desk was cluttered, as usual. Print outs of gems layed around. Shinichi scratched her head out of frustration. Only three more hours till the heist and she hasn't figured out anything. She actually needed to call Hakuba for help. Kudo Shinichi doesn't call for help.

_Bzzz! Bzzz! Bzz-  
_  
"Hello?!" Irritation was not masked as she picked up her cellphone.

_"Woah. Kudo, don't bit my head off. I was just callin' ya to see if ya figured out ta heist note."_ Osakan accent. Oh, God...

"No! I mean... No, I haven't." Shinichi sighed. "Sorry. I'm just a bit stressed out right now."

_"I see_." Hattori replied.

Silence took over the line. "Wait, how did you know about the heist note?"

"_Well, I happen to be in ta area..." _

"You're here in Tokyo? Now?"

_"Yeah, actually I'm at ya's house. I've been ringin' for a while now."_

"Ah, sorry, sorry!" She exclaimed jumping out of her chair. The sudden motion caused papers to flew askew around her room. "I'm in my room on the third floor. I'm coming now." She flew out of her room and down the stairs.

"_Take ya time_." He said as he hung up. She slowed down at the comment. Don't want to break any bones now.

She jogged to the front door. Opening it revealed a dark-skinned teen. His hat covered the majority of his face until he looked up. His green eyes were revealed by the action.

"Yo, Kudo." He greeted.

Shinchi rolled her eyes. "Cut the cool act, Hattori. Come on in." She motioned for him to step in. "What're you doing here?"

"What am I doin' here? Well, I'm here ta see my newly cured best friend, of course!" He grinned enthusiastically.

They walked into the kitchen and Hattori sat at the table. "Oh, you heard?" Shinichi asked while rummaging through the fridge.

Hattori nodded. "Nee-chan called Kazuha all excited. Told her Kudo was back. I tried callin' ya, but Hakase answered instead. Said I called Conan's phone. I guess I didn't have Shinichi's number."

"Yeah, here." She handed him her phone and a bottle of water. "Just record my number into my phone."

Hattori put a perverted smirk on his face. "Oh, and what kinda personal information can I get from ya phone?" He began to play with her phone.

"Just my monthy schedule."

"Gross, nevermind."

"You asked."

"Thought ya had some secret confession to Nee-chan or somethin' in there."

"That's what diaries are for."

"Ya have a diary?"

"No."

She poured herself a cup of coffee. The bitter smell reached Hattori and he coughed. "Ya enjoy tat kinda stuff?"

Gulping down a cup, Shinichi replied, "Yeah, sorry you don't like the same coffee I do."

"Coffee ain't suppose ta smell like tat." He took a sip of his water bottle and handed Shinichi her phone back.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She drank another cup. That's already number three. "So, did you figure out the note yet?"

"Oh, yeah! I mean, no."

"Why'd you come, again?"

"That hurts, Kudo." He sighed. "I figured two heads would be better tan one."

"Maybe. All I know is that he isn't going to steal the Star of India. I didn't call Nakamori-keibu yet, though." She took out the heist note. "Man, i. What's that supposed to mean?"

"Is it supposed ta be in a different language?"

"The whole thing is in a different language, Hattori."

"... Someone's snappy today."

"Aren't I always?"

"Ya make it really hard ta like you, Kudo."

"Off topic. Why do you think he misspelled red?"

"It means he gonna steal a red jewel."

"Good, good."

"Did ya just test me?!"

"Yeah, you passed with flying colors."

Hattori grumbled to himself, saying it must be the newly flood of teenage hormones. He wasn't too far off. "Anyway, I have a feelin' the heist isn't gonna be held at midnight."

"Why do you think that?"

"Kid obviously made this whole note a riddle. He wouldn't just tell us what time at heist would be." Hattori leaned back in his chair. "Got anything ta eat, Kudo?"

"That makes sense." She sighed. "I'm no Ran, Hattori. If you want something, you can have instant ramen or make it yourself."

Hattori sighed and stood up. He made his way to the fridge. "Geez. Your not good at makin' ta meals, are ya?" He insulted looking at a failed dish she put in the fridge.

"Sorry 'ta mils' aren't good enough for you." She paused. "Ta mils. Tamils. _Tamil_." Hattori looked to Shinichi. "Man and i. Mani. That means bachelor in the language Tamil."

Disappointment crashed into the Osakan. "I thought ya figured somethin' out, Kudo."

"But it's also used in the phrase 'o'clock.'"

Hattori's eyes widened. "O'clock. 'After ta Man and i strike nine.' Nine o'clock."

Both Hattori and Shinichi looked to the digital clock. It flashed 8:37.

"_Shit_." They simutaneously cursed as they grabbed their jackets and ran out the door.

They crashed into the professor's living room. "Hakase!" The professor looked toward Shinichi in surprise.

"S-Shinichi? And Heiji-kun?"

"Get the Beetle! We gotta go to The National Showa Memorial Museum, now!" Shinchi grabbed his keys and quickly pulled him up.

"O-Okay. I'll be out, Ai-kun." Agasa called to the basement.

"Kudo-chan giving you trouble again?" Her voice called back.

"Somethin' like tat!" Heiji yelled running out the door with Shinichi and Agasa.

Down in the basement, Haibara looked up from her computer. Documents containing APTX 4869's antidote were scattered on the screen. "Ah, the Osakan friend is finally here." She mumbled typing away.

The professor and two teen detectives made their way into the old car. They quickly sped off, not even caring about traffic laws.

"What's happening?" The professor gave Shinichi a sideways glance.

She took out her mobile and dialed Hakuba's number. "Kid's coming a bit earlier than we expected."

It rang for a little until a British voice answered. "_Hello?"_

"Hakuba," Hattori winced at the name, "new breakthrough with the note!"

"_By the tone of your voice, I bet it's nothing to our advantage._"

"Kid's striking at nine." She quickly explained how she came to that conclusion.

_"I see. Damn. Okay, I'm heading to the museum now! What is he going to steal_?" Hurried footsteps could be heard from the Hakuba's line.

"I-I'm still thinking about that!"

He sighed. "_Alright. While you think, I'll inform Nakamori-keibu."_

Shinichi nodded, but then remembered they were talking on the phone and said, "Okay, hurry."

He hung up. Shinichi look to Hattori at the back seat. "Help me. Um... Red jewel... Star..."

"Midnight." Hattori stated.

"Huh?"

"Midnight! If ta heist ain't at midnight then, what does tat mean?"

"Midnight..." Shinichi closed her eyes and rubbed her chin. Her signature thinking face was out. "Midnight, star. Ah, geez, The Midnight Star Ruby! It's being displayed with the Star of India!"

Shinichi mentally hit herself for forgetting that jewel. If she remembered it before, she would've figured out midnight wasn't the right time and suspect the Man and i more.

"Tat makes sense. 'There are many brilliant stars.' He was referin' to the star jewels being displayed in the same room!"

"Argh! Hurry, Hakase!" Agasa nodded and sped up even faster. Shinichi called Hakuba once again.

"_Got it." _He commented once she was done explaining, "_Are you almost here?_"

"We're pulling in now." Shinchi checked her watch. 8:57.

Agasa dropped them off at the entrance. They quickly got out of the car and sprinted to the building. They pushed through a crowd of people. Many of the thought the heist was at twelve, but came early anyway. 8:58

They ran past police officers yelling their names to assure them they weren't random citizens walking in. They took the stairs. 8:59

Nakamori's disgruntled orders could be heard from one floor down._ Last minute preparations_, Shinichi guessed. They made it to the designated floor where the Star Gemstones were being held. Hattori ran down the hallway, but Shinichi kept going.

"Oi, Kudo! In here!" Hattori looked back.

"Go without me!" She yelled to him. 9:00.

She remembered an important part of the note. I shall lead one to the moon... Their usual meeting place. As Shinichi ran out to the roof, the lights went out.

9:01.

* * *

A/N: Ah, that was intense. And fun to write. I had no idea how Shinichi was going to figure out the heist note until I made Heiji ask for something to eat. Then I used the power of Osakan accents to make 'ta meals' into Tamil. Somehow...

Anyway, on the topic of Heiji, OSAKAN ACCENTS. HOW DO YOU WRITE THEM TT^TT)9 ? I suck at life...

Anyway, anyway... My inbox exploded this morning from all of your guys' (guys, guy's?) positiveness. The favorites, follows, and reviews were a pleasant surprise! I especially like reviews (hint, hint).

Eto... Oh yeah! *Clears throat.* To YuZuKara: This update so early (cuz I'm not very good with that) if for you and everyone else who asked for it. You nice people give this lazy girl determination!

(Geez, did I write more for the author's note than the actual story...?)


	7. Meeting

Hattori Heiji did not like people one upping him. He didn't like thieves either. So, why was he here again, at a Kaitou Kid heist, with a stuck up British detective? Well, the number one reason was Shinichi. He needed to be at Tokyo to support her, with her change back and all.

Was it worth it, though? No. Especially when a certain white clothed bastard tapes Hakuba to him. And tapes their mout shut. With duct tape. Laying on the floor with the Brit, Hattori gave Kid the coldest glare he could muster.

Kid, for the most part, ignored the Osakan and looked out the large window to his audience. "Ladies and Gentlemen," His voice was somehow amplified. Confidence shone in the thief's voice. "Let the heist begin." The crowd cheered. Fan girls screeched. Shinichi covered her ears.

"So... annoying." She grumbled. Her patience level went even further down when she heard Nakamori bellow threats to Kid. He used words that would leave many people cowarding in disgust and fear. She then heard and light _boom_. That guy definantly needed some therapy. Or at least one of those stress balls.

She sighed for at least the tenth time that day and rubbed her temple. Maybe attending a heist in her state (physical and mental) wasn't her brightest idea. But then, she tuned out the noise, leaned over the roof's railing, and looked out to the city.

The sun had just set, still leaving a faded orangish shade near the horizon. The clouds were whispy and the city lights highlighted the scene. Her eyes softened. "Ah, Ojou-sama." She turned abruptly toward the smooth voice. "Wonderful to see you again. Are you enjoying the view?" Kid flashed her a gentleman's smile.

She huffed in annoyance. "I was."

"Whatever do you mean by that? Are you saying my presence disrupted you?" The crowd below roared, yelling for Kaitou Kid. His smiled morphed into a twisted smirk. His usual facade.

"You? Bothering me? Never." She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. On the outside at least. A part of her was actually glad, excited even, to see the thief. The moment filled her with nostalgia and made her actually miss the days she was Edogawa Conan. "Did you suceed?"

He laughed and twirled the red jewel in his hand. "Why, yes, I did. What are you going to do about it, Ojou-sama?" He challenged.

Shinichi turned to Kid. They were about thirty feet apart. She didn't have anything to kick. She didn't have her watch. _What happened to catching him the next time you see him again? _She shook her head and went for the alternative.

"What, I don't get a fancy detective nickname?" She asked teasingly.

Kid shook his head, almost disapproving what she said. "Tch, tch. My detectives earned their nicknames." He pointed to her suddenly, reminding her of their last face off when she was Conan. "You haven't done anything to earn one yet, _Ojou-sama."  
_  
Shinichi let a smirk shine through. "Not especially." She responded, not even caring if it made sense.

Kid paused, a blank look taking over until he composed himself again. He avoided her piercing gaze. "Hmm." They stood in painful silence for the next minute. People's shouts could still be heard from the ground.

"Please," Shinichi looked to Kid as he spoke with a more serious tone, "tell me." He gathered his courage to look the teen detective in her eyes. "How are you related to Tantei-chan?"

It was Shinichi's turn to avoid eye contact. "What does it matter-"

"She's like a little sister. It started out as a stupid rivalry that formed a close relationship. My imouto." Kid's smirk and playful tone was gone. Shinichi found it more difficult to lie. "I'm... worried about her, I guess."

"She's not your responsibility."

"I've battled with her so many times. I've seen her too many times. Her 'Onii-san' is concerned."

"You sound like a pedophile."

"...I'll just ignore that, Ojou-sama." He sighed. "What are you to her?"

"Uh, a distant relative."

"Funny how your answers have changed." Kid frowned. Shinichi stiffened. "Last time you said you weren't related at all."

"Well, we're-"

"Too alike to be just 'distant relatives.' Come on, Ojou-sama. If she's really your sister just tell me. It'll make me feel better, if she is" His voice was pleading slightly. Shinichi suppressed either a chuckle or a blush. Probably both. Had she really left such an impact on the Moonlight Magician?

"Kid, listen. I'm really telling the truth. Conan and I are just distant relatives." She lied with ease. Sort of. Guilt was tugging at her heart. She didn't wart him to be worried. She felt like locking herself in a closet forever._ Oh, geez_, she mentally groaned. _Why do I have to be hormonal at a time like this._

Kid made a disapproving noise, signaling that he didn't really believe her. "Whatever, Ojou-sama." He then held the Midnight Star Ruby up to the full moon. After watching it for a few seconds, he frowned and shook his head.

"That's not the jewel you're looking for." Shinichi guessed.

"Unfortunately, no it isn't." He sighed and dropped to the ground, sitting pretzel-style. "Did Tantei-chan tell you about my habits?"

"Habits?"

Kid began to play with the expensive jewel, rolling on the floor. "Yeah. Like how I nickname detectives and always hold the jewel up to the full moon."

"No."

"I see." Shinichi watched the thief for a minute, wondering what he'll do next. Kid must've noticed her watching him since he said without a care, "I can stay here for a while. Tantei-han and Tantei-san are taped together, the taskforce fell into my glues and glitter traps, and Nakamori-keibu is probably locked in a storage locker with his bloodpressure rising every minute."

"Probably locked?" Shinichi questioned.

Kid childishly grinned and held up a small key. "Probably."

Shinichi repressed a snicker with a deadpan look. Kid's grin widened as he saw through her poker face. "You can act natural here. I don't really mind, Ojou-sama."

Shinichi just shook her head. "Why should I get comfortable with a thief? Especially with one who throws himself off skyscrapers?"

"Why shouldn't you be trying to catch and unmask me?" He countered.

"I have nothing to use against you," Shinichi explained. "it would be useless." She sank to the floor and sat leaning against the railing facing Kid. "Plus, I'm not really feeling well today."

"Not feeling well?"

"Nevermind." Shinichi turned her head away from him. She looked out toward the city again. The orange light was gone. The clouds were dark. Even the city lights seemed more unfriendly. "Why do the best things have to disappear?" She mumbled.

Kid stopped rolling the gem. "Where'd that come from, Ojou-sama?"

_Where did that come from?_ She repeated the question to herself. "I guess it's just because the pretty view's gone." She mentally slapped herself. She was, ironically, sounding like a child in her newly revived teenage form.

Kid stood up, suddenly, causing Shinichi's gaze to go to him. He strolled over next to her. Shinichi looked up to him, disgruntled. "W-What?"

He threw the jewel, the expensive jewel, carelessly down to her. She barely had time to catch it. "You're very negitive, you know." He leaned against the railing.

"Eh?"

"Good things aren't meant to last. Money is spent, sweets are eaten, toys are broken." He began. "There are two types of people. Those who cry over it, and those who move on. You can always earn more by working harder."

Shinichi scoffed. "That was deep, Kid. But, I was just talking about the scenery. Just because I said it wasn't 'pretty' anymore, doesn't mean I'm a negitive, materialistic person."

"I didn't say you were materialistic."

"You didn't mean to. But you did."

"Then, I deeply apologize, Ojou-sama." He bowed and held out his hand, asking for forgiveness. Shinichi rolled her eyes, but took his hand anyway. He brought it up to his mouth and gave it a peck.

Shinichi's eyes widened and she looked away. _Damn, damn, damn_, she scolded herself,_ Don't you blush, Shinichi. Don't you dare._

Kid smirk as he watched the detective go through inner turmoil. He let go of her and and conjured up a blue rose. "For you."

Shinichi stared at the rose. "Blue. An impossible miracle." She took the flower and examined it. "How-" She touched the petals, and frowned. "It's fake."

"Of course." Kid shrugged. "Blue roses don't exists in nature, but blue is your favorite color, correct?"

"Yeah- wait. How'd you know that?"

"I, er, _overheard_ Tantei-chan talk about it with her caretaker. Mouri Ran, I think it was." Kid goofy smile was on his face again.

Shinichi sighed. "You're talking about an impossible friendship, right? Between a detective and thief."

Kid shook his head. "That rose can mean a lot of things. Impossible friendship, miracles-"

"Who's sounding negitive, now?"

"meetings and rivalry."

Shinichi stopped her next retort. Impossible rivalry? Meetings? He was talking about Conan again. And Shinichi oddly felt jealous. Of herself. (Brilliant.)

Shinichi's eyes narrowed into a glare. She sent it to the rose. If looks could kill, the rose probably would've burst into flames. Shinichi looked to Kid next. He flinched slightly at the look. "W-What?"

Shinichi looked away form the white clothed man. She let go of the rose and let it fall to the ground. "Conan is never coming back. Even if she was, neither her nor I would want a friendship with a thief." Kid winced. That was a tough blow. "I'm a detective..."

She abruptly ran toward him. Kid (Thank God for fast reflexes) quickly evaded her, as she attempted to tackle him. "so don't underestimate me!" She took out a pair of handcuffs and lunged for Kid again. He sidestepped and barely avoided her.

"C-Calm down!" He gritted his teeth as the female detective got seeming faster and faster.

"Isn't this what you expected, *_Kaitou-san_." She mocked.

"Not really!"

She backed him into a corner. Nothing but her and a fall to his-

Kid mentally face palmed. _You're the great Kaitou Kid_, he thought to himself, _yet you forgot about your damn handglider?_

As Shinichi was about to cuff him, Kid fell backwards, down to the crowd (who were still yelling and cheering for the thief). There shouts became louder as they spotted their white idol fall from the roof and open his infamous handglider.

"Farewell, Meitantei-chan!" He yelled to Shinichi, waving and smirking._ If she really is just like Tantei-chan_, he snickered, _then Meitantei is completely fitting._

Shinichi glared at the fleeting white cape, but felt strangely satisfied. She's earned her nickname. It was a damn good one at that.

She returned the handcuffs into her back pocket and began to go back inside the museum. Upon decending the stairs to the floor the Star Gemstones were being displayed, she encountered the task force. They were all stuck to the floor, walls, ceiling, and even other officers. Glitter glue (Kid's own special brand) was scattered everywhere. Shinichi guessed this was the result from the light boom she heard earlier.

"Ah, Kudo-san." One office called as she passed.

"Could you, um, possibly get us out?" Another asked, embarrassed.

Shinichi nodded. "Let me just find Nakamori-keibu and the other two teen detectives first." She assumed they were trying to nod back to her, but the glue was too strong. She internally chuckled. That guy was definitely _something_.

"Mmph! Mmmmph!" She heard a muffled sound as she entered the jewel's showroom. She quickly found the source of the sound, and nearly bursted out laughing.

It was Hattori. And Hakuba. Taped together. She could just see the suffering and hate in the Osakan's eyes. She kneeled down next to them, smiling. "How long did it take for this," she motioned to the tape, "to happen?"

Still smiling, she grabbed the tape keeping Hattori's lips sealed. She gave it a quick tug, sucessfully ripping it off his mouth. She snickered as Hattori suppressed a painful yell. Maybe she was spending too much time with Haibara. Her sadistic attitude was rubbing off.

"What ta hell, Kudo!?" He struggled against the still taped silent Brit. "There's somethin' called 'gently!' Ugh, nevermind. Just get us untapped so I can kill tat damn thief."

Shinichi laughed. "Too late, Hattori. He's already gone."

"Gone?"

"Flew away."

"Can I ever win?" He winced as she began tearing off the tape. "And did he have ta use duct tape!?"

Hakuba quietly sighed, just wishing to get away from the hotheaded Osakan.

* * *

*Kaitou-san would literally translate to "Mr. Thief."

A/N: I-I think I wrote more but it still looks short QAQ  
And the award for saying 'damn' the most in a single chapter is...


	8. Again

"Lighten up a little, Hattori." Shinichi leaned back comfortably in the booth. Hattori was straying in the area for a while, so (being the good friend she is) Shinichi decided to treat him to lunch at a local cafe. "I'm sorry you got duct taped to him, but that gives you no excuse to mope."

"I'm not mopin' about tat anymore." He crossed his arms. "I'm mad at ya."

"Me?"

He rolled up his sleeve. Band-Aids were placed on a few red, swollen areas. "Ya ripped off the duct tape so hard tat my arm bled!" Shinichi snickered. "It's not funny!"

"It sorta is, Heiji." A girl sitting next to Hattori chuckled. Her hair was in a ponytail tied with a ribbon. She spoke with the same Kansai dialect as the dark-skinned detective.

"Ah, Kazuha-chan, don't be mean." Ran was seated next to Shinichi. She slapped Shinichi's arm. She winced. "You could've taken it easy on him."

"Sorry." Shinichi shrugged.

"So, ya got stuck to a stuck-up Brit?" Kazuha looked to Heiji, smirking.

Hattori rolled his eyes. "I'm just happy that Kid taped his mouth shut, too." A few girls looked to their table, the name 'Kid' peaking their interest.

Shinichi took a sip of her coffee. She looked out the window, not paying any attention to the conversation anymore. All she could think about is when Kid's next heist was going to be. Will they confront each other again? Should she bring a soccer ball?

"Oi, Kudo!" Hattori hit the table softly to get her attention.

"Ah, what?"

Ran sighed. "Geez, Shinichi. Pay attention. Heiji-kun asked if you faced Kid on the roof."

"Yeah, I did. Can I have another coffee?" Shinichi held her cup up to a passing waitress. She nodded and took the cup.

"Did ya try to catch him?" Hattori looked at Shinichi skeptically.

She just rolled her eyes. "No, Hattori. I didn't try to catch him." She retorted. "We sat and talked about the view and roses." She said it sarcastically, but in reality it was actually true. What has this world come to?

Shinichi's stomach felt funny thinking about their conversation. It wasn't a particularly good feeling, but at the same time, it wasn't bad. Just... fluffy, for lack of a better word.

"What happened?" Kazuha asked taking a bite of her meal. "Did ya almost get him?"

"I got pretty close, I guess. When I cornered him though, he just jumped off the roof and flew away." Shinichi sighed.

The waitress returned with her coffee, asking if she wanted milk or sugar. Shinichi denied both offers leaving her slightly confused.

"She likes it black." Ran forced out a laugh.

"I see." The waitress replied, walking away.

"You know," Shinichi's tone became more serious, capturing her friends' attention. She drank from her cup again. "I think-"

She was cut off by a woman's shriek. "_He's dead!_" She wailed. People around her jumped away from their table. The workers began to panic. "Call *119!"

"-that the Kid heists are more entertaining and less stressful than homicides." Shinichi finished groaning. "I just had to open my mouth." She stood up and walked toward the woman's hysterical sobs. Hattori was quick to follow.

"Oi, Kudo. It ya's curse."

"I'm not cursed!"

"Really?" He questioned. "Everyday I use ta hear from Nee-chan tat 'Conan saw another person die today.' and 'I'm scared Shinichi's habits are rubbin' off on her.'" Hattori said trying imitate Ran.

Shinichi's eyes darkened. "Don't ever do that again."

Hattori grinned, though it was quickly replaced with a frown as they came across the table with the lifeless body. His frown was then replaced with a scowl as his eyes met with a cocky Brit's.

"Hakuba?" Shinichi asked somewhat surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Yeah, what are ya doin' here?" Hattori repeated in a colder voice.

Hakuba completely ignored Hattori and said to Shinichi, "Some friends of mine dragged me out here." He looked back. "Actually it's more like one friend and an idiot."

"I know what you mean, Hakuba. Ahoko really is stupid." A boy with messy bedhead came up to Hakuba and rest his arm on his shoulder. His face held a mischevious grin that Shinichi swore reminded her of Kid. She brushed it off, though, since a lot of things have reminded her of the white magician recently.

"I'm pretty sure you're the idiot, BaKaito." A childish voice rang out. A girl with spiky hair walked from the crowd of gasping people. "Anyway, l-let's go. I don't wanna see a dead body today!" She pouted.

"I'm afraid you can't leave just yet." A heavyset man wearing a hat calmly made his way to the scene. "I'm not accusing you of anything, but I'd rather you stay."

Shinichi quickly slid behind Hattori. "I'm not here." She hissed. The Osakan nodded and slipped his own hat on her head. Shinichi took her hair and tucked it into the hat. "Thanks." She mumbled and backed into the crowd. She could not let Megure-keibu see her. He knew her better than Nakamori and he would ask questions. Questions that could possibly endanger his life.

Panic set in as Megure seemingly looked her way. She lowered the rim of Hattori's hat. _Don't see me, don't see me. _"Ah, Heiji-kun." Megure called. Shinichi breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hello, Megure-keibu. How ya been?" Hattori grinned, but still glanced back at Shinichi nervously.

"I've been fine. What brings you here?"

"Ah, Ku- er Kazuha dragged me to Beika. Ya know, she missed Nee-chan, or somethin'." Hattori laughed awkwardly. Shinichi rolled her eyes. He sucks at lying.

"That's not true, Heiji." Kazuha appeared with Ran, "We came because-"

Hattori quickly covered her mouth. "Because we heard the food was good here!"

"Heiji-kun? What's wrong? Didn't we come here for Shin-"

Still holding his hand over Kazuha's mouth, Hattori stuttered ,"Y-Yeah! We came fer the *truth! If the food was really as good as everyone was sayin'!" Kazuha, a little more than slightly irritated, bit down hard on Hattori's hand.

"Yowch!" He quickly pulled back his hand. "I'm bleedin' again!"

"We came because Kudo-chan invited us! Or did ya forget, ya idiot!?" She yelled angrily.

Megure's eyes widened. "Kudo-chan is here!?" He began to looked around for her. "Where?"

"Shit." Shinichi silently cursed. She found her way out of the crowd. Just as she was going to go through the door, Hakuba stopped her.

"Kudo-san. It'd be strange if you didn't notice Megure-keibu is looking for you." He held her arm.

Shinichi began to pull away from the Brit. "It'd be better if I just left."

"Nonsense."

"N-No. I really need to go."

"Megure-keibu!" Hakuba ignored her protests and called for the inspector. Megure turned to the teen detective. He held up Shinichi's arm. "Kudo-san's right here."

Shinichi began to mumble her whole vocabulary of swear words. "Let me go, Hakuba." She glared at him as she squirmed in his grasped. Hattori's hat fell off in her struggle.

He looked at her quizzically. "Why?"

"Because you doing what you're good at." Hakuba's hand was swiftly ripped away from Shinichi's arm. Kaito stood in between them. "Making people uncomfortable." He said clearly annoyed.

_Don't touch my new detective, Tantei-san_, Kaito thought angrily. He picked up Hattori's hat and dusted it off. "For you, Ojou-chan." Not wanting to blow his cover, Kaito began calling her by her old nickname. With his own little Kaito twist of course. He had to be casual with the ladies.

Shinichi gratefully took the hat. "Thank you... BaKaito, was it?" She asked with a slight smirk.

Kaito let out an laugh. "No. Kuroba Kaito's the name." He smiled.

Megure was getting closer. Along with Ran and Kazuha, who were definatly going to ask her why Hattori was lying. "O-Okay, Kuroba-san." She began to open the door and leave.

"Kaito. Skip the formality." He followed her out.

"Alright. Then, thank you, Kaito. I'll see you." She ran away from the cafe just as Megure got to the door.

"Kudo-chan, wait!" Megure called. He was curious and need to ask her some things. Why was she gone for so long and where did she go?

"Uh, Megure-keibu," An officer, Takagi, began, "People are starting to get restless in there." He pointed to the crowd, still hovering by the dead corpse.

Megure sighed. He'll question her later. "Alright." He looked to Kaito, who was still staring at where Shinichi had ran away. "You'll need to come back in." He said to him.

"Huh? Oh, yeah." He walked back into the cafe. "Why didn't you want to be seen, Meitantei-chan?" He mumbled to himself.

* * *

Shinichi's fist pounded against her door. She gritted her teeth in frustration. "Always, always running away. Always hiding." Her fist unclench end and sank to her side. "I'm sick of this."

"Excuse me?" Shinichi quickly turned to the voice. Subaru-san stood at her door, groceries in hand. She sighed.

"Oh, I forgot you were here." She held the door open for him. "Where were you yesterday?"

"Out." Subaru simply said. He calmly walked to her kitchen and frowned at the dirty coffee mug in the sink. "You drink a lot of coffee, but have you actually eaten anything yet?"

Shinichi nodded. "I was just out for lunch."

Subaru looked at her. **"Be careful."** He said in English. **"You wouldn't want anyone to see you, now would you?"**

Shinichi closed her eyes. **"No. I was careful."** She responded in a thick accent.

Subaru smiled. "Good." Japanese took over again. "Would you like to help me." It was more of a command than a question.

Shinichi sighed, then smiled. "Sure." She grabbed the bag nearest to her and unloaded its contents. "I'll pay for this."

"No need." Subaru dismissed her. He began to put the meat in the freezer.

The continued to work in silence. Shinichi would give him occasional sideway glances. "You know," Shinichi began, breaking the quiet moment, "when are you going to tell Sera who you are?"

Subaru paused as he began to put away the rice. "When the time is right."

"I see." Shinichi gave him a skeptical look. "Whatever you say-"

"_Shinichi!_" Ran's voice echoed throughout the manor. Shinichi stiffened._ Oh, God, help me_. Ran stormed into the kitchen and grabbed Shinichi's shirt collar. "Where'd you go?! Why'd you go?! You promised not to do that anymore!"

Surbaru sighed and left the kitchen to let the two childhood friends sort out their issues. He walked into the living room and turned on the television.

"Ran. I'd appreciate it if you weren't so violent." Ran's eyes softened and she let Shinichi go. Shinichi sighed. "I don't want to face Megure-keibu yet or solve any mystery homicides." _It'd be too dangerous if my name got out_.

Ran blinked. It took her a moment to process what her best friend just said. She... didn't want to solve a mystery murder. Kudo Shinichi, renown highschool detective, _didn't_ want to solve a murder. She couldn't even believe it.

"W-Why not?" Ran asked.

Shinichi shrugged. "I just got back from a few tough cases. I guess I just want a break." _And go crow hunting..._

"I see."

"Yep."

"Oi, Kudo." Hattori waltzed into the kitchen with Kazuha behind him. "Ya doin' okay?"

Shinichi nodded. "What happened to you?" She pointed at his bandaged hand.

"Didn't ya see?"

"No." She lied.

"He was bein' annoyin' and a bad lier so I bit him. Simple as tat." Kazuha said proudly. Shinichi held back a chuckle. She actually saw it happen and it was still funny.

"So why were you lying to Megure-keibu, Heiji-kun?" Ran asked sitting down at Shinichi's table.

Shinichi slipped next to Hattori. "He knew I wasn't in the mood for all this murder mumbo-jumbo, so he covered for me." She answered for him.

"Yep!" Hattori agreed. "I-"

"Might just want to be quiet now," Shinichi whispered the next part to him, "because you suck at lying."

Hattori shrugged. "I'm tryin' my best."

Shinichi sighed. "I know, I know. Thank you really. I appreciate it. You're risking a lot for my sake."

Hattori shook his head. "Don't even worry 'bout it, Kudo." He grinned. "I got ya covered."

Warmth flooded Shinichi as Hattori told her this. He really wasn't a bad friend. He was her best friend, in fact. Shinichi smiled. "Thanks." She murmured.

"Shinichi-chan?" Subaru called from the living room.

"Yes?" Shinichi made her way out of the kitchen and into the living room where the television flashed.

Subaru didn't need to say anything. Nakamori-keibu was on the screen, holding up and piece of paper. "I'll get you this time, Kid!" Nakamori bellowed.

And on that piece of paper was a riddle and the infamous Kaitou Kid doodle.

* * *

*911 in Japan is 119  
** Shin means truth in Japanese

A/N: Hah... Filler...

Well, final exams are finally over! But I'm not done with school yet, oh no. Not even close (that's a lie, I'm pretty close..).

School and... other things will be going on this week, so you might not see an update for a while. Sorry... I can't control these thing! TTATT

And finally, to Guest1813: I didn't feel pity for them either XD


	9. Connected

_It was getting colder. The cool breeze cut against Shinichi's bare skin. She wished she brought a jacket._

_"Meitantei-chan?" Ah, there he was. In his pristine suit. His pale, silk-like skin. His blue-violet gaze that sent shivers down her spine. "What're doing here?"_

_Shinichi frowned. He sounded confused, distressed. "The heist note-"_

_"Get away!" He ran to her, tackling her to the ground. Her hand landed on his side. She felt something warm in her hand. It was a red, hot liquid seeping out of a fresh bullet wound. "Watch out!" He grunted._

_Shinichi's breath quicken. The white suit was stained with blood, and she could see the bright shine leaving the thief's eyes. He was getting pale. White. _Cold_._

_"You need to_-Ngh!"_ A splatter of crimson flew out of Kid's arm, causing him to fall on Shinichi. A drop landed on her cheek, right next to her wide, teary eyes. "Need to... n-need to... get away."_

_Kid lifted his head and locked gazes with Shinchi. He forced a simper knowing it was his last._

_"Shin-chan~" was the last word he uttered before the bullet pierced his head, missing Shinichi's ear by centimeters._

Shinichi woke up and ran to the toilet.

* * *

It was Monday. Hattori had gone back to Osaka and Subaru had made quite a nice breakfast for Shinichi, yet she barely touched it. Understanding, he wrapped the food and put it in the fridge for later.

"Rough night?" He asked, washing the dish he ate from. Shinichi nodded. "You were tossing and turning."

Shinichi took a sip of her coffee and shrugged. "It's been happening all the time lately."

"Hmmm?"

"It's a different, terrible nightmare each time I close my eyes. I'm not sure why I'm getting them." After only one cup of coffee, Shinichi grabbed her bag a made her way the door.

Subaru stopped her. He reached for her tie and began to straighten it. "Maybe it's your body, subconsciously telling you something important is about to happen." Subaru opened one of his eyes and stared hard at Shinichi blank expression.

"I hope nothing in these nightmares come true." She turned and walked out the door. "Goodbye."

Subaru frowned. "So do I." His thoughts shifted to his most recent nightmare. Sera. "So do I..."

Shinichi hurried down the steps of her house to be greeted by an over enthusiastic Ran and a somewhat surprised Sonoko.

"So, look who finally decided to stop letting her wife wait for her." Sonoko smirked in a cat like manner.

Shinichi and Ran blushed in sync. "_Sonoko!"_ Ran complained.

"Geez. Still as cheeky as ever." Shinichi refused to look Sonoko in the eye.

"Whatever. Glad you're back, detective freak." Shinichi rolled her eyes. Sonoko snickered. "So anyway, where've you been this whole time?"

"Doing undercover cases and such."

"Specifically?"

"That's classified."

Sonoko groaned. "Aww. You're no fun!"

Shinichi shrugged. "Sorry. They were _undercover_ for a reason."

Ran smiled. Shinichi was the same as before. Arrogant, yet sweet. She blushed internally. _D-Does that mean her confession from London is still true?_

"Oi, Ran!" Shinichi was in front of her. Her face had a clearly annoyed expression, signaling she had been calling her for a while.

"Eh?"

"What's with that stupid look on your face? Nevermind. I asked, has anyone forgotten me over these past few months?" Shinichi put her hands behind her head in a relaxed way.

Ran scoffed. "Who could forget you, you mystery otaku?"

"Actually," Sonoko interjected, "you're the talk around the school!"

"Huh?"

"Come on, you've been gone for more than five months. Everyone's wondering what happened and what's gonna happen to you! Though, you're probably not gonna be held back is because you were pretty much a year ahead of us before you disappeared." Sonoko sighed. "That would suck if you had to repeat your second year again."

_I had to repeat first grade again_, Shinichi thought somewhat bitterly. "Yeah." Was her only response.

Sonoko chuckled. "Then, the wives couldn't be together! Shinichi would be calling Ran, '*Senpai!'"

"I'm older than both of you, though."Shinichi said with an irritated sigh, as they walked to the corner.

"Hey!" A boyish voice called out. A girl with short hair and a flat chest appeared from the corner and ran toward them. "Ran-chan, Sonoko-chan! Good morning!" She paused in front of the girls. "And, who's this?" She gestured to Shinichi.

"Ah, good morning, Sera-san." Ran smiled. "This is Kudo Shinichi-"

"Kudo Shinichi!?" Sera interrupted, shocked. "The Kudo Shinichi who disappeared five months ago?" She got really close to Shinichi's face, eager for an answer.

"Ah, yeah. You're Sera Masumi, right?" Shinichi took two steps back, uncomfortable with their proximity.

Sera grinned, showing her uneven tooth. Shinichi studied the expression before she chimed, "You remember me!" and tackled Shinichi in a hug, causing them both to fall on the ground. Shinichi shivered remembering her dream.

Sonoko sighed and looked away, blushing slightly. "No more **yuri..."

"Get off me!" Shinichi snapped, pushing the other female detective off of her. Sera fell onto the sidewalk. She laughed as Shinichi got up and brushed her clothes off.

"Sorry, sorry." Sera smiled.

Shinichi frowned. "And about remembering you," Sera's happy expression was quickly replaced with a serious one, "I don't think I've ever seen you before."

"I see." Sera replied, pondering what Shinichi just said. After a few minutes, she just shook her head and jumped up off the ground. "Oh well~ We better get going! We don't wanna be late for school!" Sera grabbed Ran and Shinichi's hand all while pushing Sonoko in the direction of Teitan High.

Shinichi barely kept up. She was too busy wondering if she really did know Sera at one point in her life.

* * *

School was... eventful. Filled with dozens and dozens of students asking Shinichi where she's been and why she left. Shinichi answered as vague and incorrect as possible. Even the teachers were constantly bothering her about it.

Once the final bell rang, Shinichi quickly gathered her things and sprinted out the school. She felt suffocated under all the attention, which was actually a first for the usual flashy detective.

She met up with Ran and Sonoko outside the school. "Where's Sera-san?" Shinichi asked.

"She said she had something to do." Sonoko recalled. "Anyway, let's go to Ekoda!"

Ran and Shinichi looked at her questionably. "Sonoko, if you're going for Kid-"

"I know, I know. The heist is tomorrow." Sonoko looked to Shinichi. "You have inside connections so I expect you're coming." Shinichi shrugged. "Whatever. The real reason I wanna go to Ekoda is because of the new mall that open up!"

Ran's eyes lit up. "Ah, the one they built by the high school?" Sonoko nodded, beaming.

Shinichi scoffed. "You guys can go. I'll pass." She began to walk away until Sonoko grabbed her blazer. "What-"

"Are you kidding me!?" Sonoko snarled. "You've been gone for five months! Don't you wanna hang out with us!?" She glared daggers at Shinichi.

Shinichi just sighed. "Fine. But you're not making me carry everything like you usually make me do."

Sonoko shook her head, smirked, and pulled Shinichi and Ran along to the bus stop. "No promises." Shinichi groaned, but still followed.

The bus ride took thirty long minutes filled with talk of clothing and fashion. Shinichi was fine with it, to a certain extent, of course. She was relieved when they got off at Ekoda and began used their own feet. Shinichi purposely walked a few strides slower than her two other friends just to escape their bland conversation.

That is until Ran turned around and said in her pretty voice, "Come on, Shinichi. Hurry up!" Shinichi blushed and quicken her pace, catching up with the brunette.

"So, is this new mall big?" Shinichi asked as they passed Ekoda High.

Sonoko snickered. "See for yourself." She motioned to the a huge building, at least four stories tall. Students, adults, and even the elderly were waking through the large double doors that lead them inside the mall. "The Suzuki branch helped fund it, so we get special treatment." Sonoko grinned.

"Special treatment?" Ran questioned.

"As in we don't have to pay for anything the first three days!" Sonoko said cheerfully.

Shinichi's eyes widened. "That's some special treatment." She murmured.

"Well, _I_ don't have to pay for anything," Sonoko admitted, "but I'm not gonna let you two pay for anything either."

"That's too kind Sonoko!" Ran protested.

Sonoko held a hand up, telling her to stop. "Really, it's not fair if I get everything for free and you two have to pay. Just think of this as another birthday present from me, Ran."

"But-"

"Just stop arguing!" Sonoko huffed in annoyance. "You're too nice for your own good."

"You don't-" Shinichi began.

"You stop, too." Sonoko interjected. "I know you're not hurting with money, but you're Ran's wife and I have to be nice to you, too." Shinichi rolled her eyes.

Ran blushed. "E-Even in public, Sonoko!?"

* * *

*Senpai: Uppeclassman/woman or (not story use) someone you look up to or respect

**Yuri: GirlxGirl

A/N: THIS IS REALLY DIFFICULT BECAUSE I SHIP SHINICHI (Female or not) WITH EVERYONE! RanxShinichi, KaitoxShinichi, HeijixShinichi, AixShinichi, SeraxShinichi. EVEN VermonthxShinichi TO A CERTAIN EXTENT o(TTATT)o! I am such a multi-shipper, it's not even funny...

*Awkward cough* Anyway, I hate filler. This chapter really sucked, didn't it? I apologize. The next chapter is gonna be filler too, but it's gonna be more interesting... Spoiler Alert: Kaito and Aoko are in it :) They may or may not meet Shinichi, Ran, and Sonoko... Maybe.

(I've copied and pasted this on every review but...) As far as updating goes... The past few weeks have been insane. My 3 day field trip with NO internet was two weeks ago and then there was graduation! I was also busy with lots of personal issues... I'm almost done with the next chapter and I'll try (TRY! I'm not good at things!) to stay more consistent.


	10. Hints

"Pleeeease, Kaito!" Aoko began dragging a reluctant Kaito in the opposite direction of their school. "Please! Everyone's going!" She pleaded, tugging on his shirt once more.

"I'm not going." Kaito gritted his teeth while trying to pull away from Aoko's iron grasp. "You can go with Momoi-san."

"She's at home with a cold."

"That's too bad. I'm busy today."

Aoko frowned. "You're never busy, BaKaito."

"Well, today I am." Kaito avoided the death glares his childhood friend was sending his way. _Busy planning for a heist._

"We never seem to hang out anymore." Aoko let go of his shirt and looked at the ground, clearly upset. Like a scared, little puppy. She switched tactics, automatically changing from angry to begging.

Kaito rubbed his neck. "Ah, don't do this, Ahoko."

"But it's true!" She clenched her fists. "I just wanted to have fun with my best friend but..." She sniffed for added effect. "...But, _you hate me!"_

People walking by shifted their attention to the sobbing teen and the boy who made her cry (from their perspective). Kaito sighed. He wanted to plan out more traps just to see if he could make Mentantei-chan flustered, but that would just have to wait.

He shoved a victory sign in Aoko's face. "I'll go for two hours, so stop crying."

"R-Really."

Kaito sighed. "Yeah, really."

Aoko smiled childishly, recovering from her crying extremely quick. "Yay!" She cheered and grabbed his sleeve, dragging him in the direction of the new Ekoda mall.

Kaito tripped trying to keep up with Aoko's insane speed. "Oh, I can already tell this is gonna be fun." He said with a dry laugh.

* * *

Aoko held up two dresses. Kaito sat on a red chair and looked at them, unable to understand why she couldn't just pick one. "Ne, Kaito. Which one suits me better?"

"Both."

Aoko huffed in annoyance. "You don't understand anything." She threw a short, blue one at him. He caught it as Aoko turned, showing Kaito her back. "I'm going to try this one on." She held up a casual orange dress and made her way to a dressing room.

Kaito threw the blue dress over the chair and sighed. _I just don't understand_-

"- why your so picky about the dresses." A staid tone finished Kaito's thought for him. He turned to the familiar voice only to see Meitantei-chan, a few chairs away from him. She held a bored expression while talking to that other girl, Mouri Ran.

"Geez, Shinichi. You don't get it, do you? I really like this red one, but I don't look good in it." Ran whined.

Shinichi sighed, but oddly enough blushed at the same time. She leaned her head against the wall and mumbled, "You look great in anything."

"What was that, Shinichi?" Ran asked, unaware of the compliment Shinichi just gave out.

Kaito smirked and said before he could stop himself, "She said you'd look great in anything, Ojou-chan."

Shinichi whipped her head in his direction, surprised by his sudden words. Her face turned beet red, embarrassed he had caught that. "Kuroba-san?"

Kaito mentally slapped himself. _What are you doing_, he asked himself. _You're talking to your rival here. Your incredibly intelligent rival who could figure out your identity within minutes.  
_  
Ran looked to the spiky haired teen and back at her childhood friend. "You two know each other?"

Shinichi shook her head. "I met him at that cafe we were at yesterday. Just as I was leaving."

Ran smiled and held out her hand. "Well either way, it's nice to meet you. I'm Mouri Ran."

Kaito snapped out of his trance and shook her hand. "Kuroba Kaito." And he made a red rose appear out of nowhere. He cursed himself the second the red petals came into view. Ran reminded him too much of Aoko and he made a rose appear out of habit.

Ran blinked, but accepted the flower nonetheless. "H-How'd you do that?"

Kaito glanced at the silent Meitantei-chan, hoping she wasn't getting suspicious. "My dad taught me. I'm a magician, just like him." He flashed a toothy grin, making sure it didn't hold as much mischief as usual. "You just reminded me of someone and I just sorta..."

"Kaito." Aoko's voice rang out, causing him to avert his attention to her. She was in the cute orange dress. Kaito had to admit, it looked pretty good on her. "Who're these people?" She asked with a nervous smile.

Kaito coughed. "Uh, this is Mouri Ran." He gestured to the brunette teen. "And this is-"

"Wow!" Aoko cut him off. She excitedly walked up to Ran and shook her hand. "You look just like me!"

Ran turned to a mirror. She found herself looking at both her and Aoko's reflection and having a difficult time telling them apart. "You're right." She said in awe.

Shinichi looked from Ran to the girl and found the only different factor to be their hair. Ran's was more tamed and flat, while the girl's was spiky and somewhat wild. They both were cute in their own special way.

"Oh," the girl blushed, "I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Nakamori Aoko."

Shinichi looked at Aoko in shock. "Nakamori?" She questioned. "As in, the daughter of Nakamori-keibu?"

Aoko looked at Shinichi with a grin. "Yep! He's never home, but that's okay. He's needs to work hard to catch that no good thief Kaitou Kid!" Kaito swallowed hard at the name of his alias.

Shinichi looked in the opposite direction and murmured, "I sorta see the resemblance now."

Ran, hearing what Shinichi said, elbowed her, making Shinichi bite her tongue in pain. "Now don't be rude, Shinichi." Ran said slightly peeved. "You still need to introduce yourself."

Aoko blinked, confused why her new friend elbow the quiet girl. She brushed it off as affection, just like how she would chase Kaito around with a mop.

Shinichi composed herself quickly and held out her hand. "I'm Kudo Shinichi. It's a pleasure to meet you Nakamori-san."

Aoko shook her hand, but said, "Please, call me Aoko. Just Aoko."

Shinichi smiled warmly. "Then, I'll ask you to call me Shinichi, Aoko."

Aoko blushed at the girl. She was just so... so... _poised_. Like she was in complete control, making everything she did come off as mysterious and elegant.

"If you're calling Ahoko, Aoko," Kaito jumped into their conversation, "then don't call me Kuroba-san. Kaito is fine."

Shinichi smirked. "Then, I guess it's going to be Aoko and Kaito."

Kaito nodded while Aoko frowned. "Don't call me 'Ahoko' in front of Shinichi and Ran-chan!"

"Why not, _Ahoko_?"

"Stop it, _BaKaito_!"

"Hey! Don't call me that so loudly!"

"Then, quit calling me Ahoko!"

Ran and Shinichi laughed awkwardly, unsure what to do about the bickering friends. "Um, guys?" Ran attempted to appease their argument.

"Yes, Ran-chan?" Aoko asked, now choosing to ignore Kaito.

"Do you wanna turn it down a bit?" Shinichi advised, pointing to the other customers who were staring oddly at them.

Aoko blushed and nodded. "Sorry." She smack Kaito's shoulder.

"Ow! What?" He asked.

"Apologize." She commanded.

Kaito sighed and bowed to Shinichi. "I'm truely sorry, Ojou-chan." Shinichi paused, wondering why she felt like what he said was deja vu.

("Then, I deeply apologize, Ojou-sama.")

She stared hard at Kaito, blue orbs piercing his skin. He stiffened under the gaze. "You seem to remind me a lot of-"

"Hey, Ran, Shinichi!" Sonoko had exited the dressing room with impeccable timing. "Do you think Kid-sama would like this? Ah, who're these two?" She gestured to Ran and Kaito.

Shinichi held back her laughter as Ran turned red and yelled at Sonoko, "I'm Ran! You've never met Aoko-chan yet!" She pointed to Aoko, who was giggling next to a shaking Shinichi.

"Oh, sorry! Y-You two really look alike, y'know!" Sonoko laughed and turned red out of embarrassment. "Ah, so you're Aoko?" She asked, facing the correct look alike.

Aoko nodded. "Nakamori Aoko! It's nice to meet you!" She gave an innocent grin.

"I'm Kuroba Kaito!" Kaito pushed Aoko out of the way and held out his hand. Sonoko was about to shake it, when Aoko shoved Kaito back.

"That was rude!" She stuck her tongue out at Kaito and turned to Sonoko. "Sorry about him."

"Um, no problem?" Sonoko let out an shaky laugh, still holding out her hand.

"Anyways," Aoko shook hands with her, "I didn't catch your name."

"I'm Suzuki Sonoko." Sonoko grinned.

Aoko stared at Sonoko, puzzled, for a few minutes. "Suzuki... Suzuki... Oh!" Her eyes widened. "Suzuki Branch! The people holding the Kaitou Kid heist tonight! You're part of their family?"

Sonoko nodded. "My uncle's really set on catching him."

"So is my dad!" Aoko eyes sparkled.

"So is Shinichi!" Ran lifted Shinichi's arm up, cutting into the conversation. Shinichi stood there, unsure what to do.

Aoko, on the other hand, seemed overjoyed. "Really!?" She asked with a smile. "Oh! Are you the one my dad was talking about before?"

Ran let go of Shinichi's arm, letting it fall back to her side. "I-I guess?"

"Then, I'll-" she abruptly grabbed Kaito (who had been silent throughout their whole Kid conversation) and excitedly added, "we'll be seeing you there!"

"Ah, Aoko-chan and Kaito-kun are coming?" Ran asked.

Aoko nodded. "Yep! I wanna help catch Kid!" She quickly pouted. "But Kaito just wants his autograph."

"Autograph?" Shinichi questioned. Kaito broke any eye contact he had with her.

"Kaito is Kid's 'Number 1 fan.' It's mostly because Kaito's also a magician." Aoko replied.

Ran nodded. "You're really good at it! Or at least that one trick!"

"What trick?" Sonoko asked, feeling like she's missing something.

Ran smiled and blushed, remembering the trick. "It's the one where you make a rose appear in you hand." She handed him back the red rose. "It was amazing! Do it again!" She begged.

Kaito sighed and looked at Shinichi. Might as well do it with a bang. He faced her and made a whole bouquet of blue and red roses appear. "For you, Shin-chan~" he grinned, liking the new nickname he just gave her.

Shinichi blushed, but she made no attempt at taking the roses. Ran, Sonoko, and Aoko clapped, clearly impressed with his magic.

But, Shinichi remember the horrible dream from earlier.

("Shin-chan~")

"No way..." She muttered. He was just like him. The magic. The way he talked. Hell, he even _looked_ like him. She looked into his eyes again, before he looked away. They were the same blue-violet color she remembered seeing contrasted against his white hat.

"Huh?" Kaito asked, deciding to play innocent.

Shinichi shook her head. "Nothing." She accepted the bouquet. "Just... Just remember what I said about detectives and thieves." Kaito began to sweat in his school uniform.

"When exactly?"

Shinichi smirked, arrogantly. "When we met."

Kaito gulped. "A-And, just when did we meet?" He pushed further.

Shinichi leaned forward, closer to him. She made sure her eyes told the truth while her mouth blurted, "At the cafe, of course! Where else?"

_I'm screwed_, was Kaito's only thought.

Shinichi grabbed Sonoko and Ran's blazers and began leading them to the checkout. "You will be at the Kid heist, right." Kaito knew that it wasn't a question.

"Ah, yes!" Aoko answered.

Shinichi smirk grew. "I expect to see you both then. Goodbye, Aoko! Kaito!"

"See you guys at the heist!" Sonoko waved.

"Bye Aoko-chan and Kaito-kun!" Ran smiled.

"Bye!" Aoko called back.

And Aoko and Kaito were left by the dressing rooms. "Wasn't it weird," Aoko began, "how Shinichi suddenly smirked at you. It was like you two were sharing an inside joke. Right, Kaito?"

Kaito stared ahead at his Meitantei-chan and finally realized, she definitely lived up to her name. "Yeah, Aoko. An inside joke..."

* * *

A/N: Well, I'm 30 minutes late (by my time zone) in fulfilling my promise to KuroichiRukibara. I said I would have this chapter out by tonight. It's 12:28...

Kaito seems too cautious in my story... Oh well. I tried QvQ


	11. Believe

The heist was at 11:00 pm sharp. Shinichi arrived thirty minutes before that. She had to meet up with her new friends. Kaito and Aoko were waiting together at a nice family restaurant near the Suzuki business skyscraper. It was a decent place with decent reviews.

Once Shinichi rounded the corner, she saw Aoko. She waved to Shinichi and called for her. "Shinichi! Hey, glad you could make it!" She paused and looked around. "Where's Ran-chan and Suzuki-chan?"

Shinichi shrugged. "They're back at the heist spot." She pointed to the large Suzuki skyscraper. "Sonoko was asked to stay and Ran decided to keep her company." A cool breeze cut through Shinichi's jacket. Winter was coming. It was going to be a harsh one.

"Brr." Kaito shivered. "Cold, isn't it. Let's go inside, Shin-chan, Ahoko." He held open the door the the small restaurant.

Aoko frowned. "I told you to stop calling me that! Geez, maybe Shinichi and I should just ditch you and go to a sushi place." Kaito stiffened at the word sushi.

"Why didn't we go to that sushi restaurant down the block? I heard it was really good." Shinichi checked her watch, making sure to know the time down to the minute.

Aoko smirked. "That's because Kaito has a fear-_Mphm!_" Kaito swiftly put his hand over Aoko's mouth.

"We're not talking about that!" He replied in a dark, unsettled tone. Shinichi raised an eyebrow, confused. "It's nothing, Shin-chan."

Shinichi groaned and covered her ears. "Don't call me 'Shin-chan.' My mom calls me that, and it's usually just to annoy me."

Kaito let go of Aoko. "Why?" He asked, tilting his head. "I think it's cute!" He grinned wide._ Trying to act innocent, Phantom Thief? _Shinichi wanted to ask.

"Whatever." Shinichi said, entering the restaurant. Kaito and Aoko were quick to follow. They were seated in a booth, Aoko and Shinichi on one side and Kaito on the other. "Hey, what's good here?" Shinichi asked, examining her menu.

"Well, I've never been here, " Aoko began, looking at the beverages, "but I've heard the unadon[1] is really good." She smiled.

"Really?" A sly voice jumped into their conversation. Shinichi looked in the direction of the oh so familiar voice. "I heard it's terrible."

She didn't even bother to be in disguise. Her blond, curly hair draped down the empty seat next to Kaito. She leaned again the top of the booth, holding an unlit cigarette. She smirked and winked at Shinichi. "What's up, Cool Gal?"

Shinichi's face was priceless. Eyes wide, mouth open. Completely stiff. Kaito looked at Vermouth, then Shinichi, the Vermouth again. "You know her?" He asked a shell-shocked Shinichi.

Shinichi didn't repond to him directly, but then next thing she said confirmed it. "What are you doing here?" Her sharp eyes bore into Vermouth's deadly eyes, creating a vicious staring contest.

"Where're your manners? I asked you first, Silver-chan. What's up?" She grinned and placed the cigarette between her teeth.

Shinichi eyebrows went straight down, knowing that if Vermouth was here, something bad, terrible is going to happen. Shinichi shook her head and mumbled. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

"What do you mean nothing?" She questioned, placing a hand on Kaito's head. He jumped in surprise.

"What-" he began.

"You have to introduce me to your new friends." She interrupted. "I'm dying to meet them. Are they dying to meet me?" She narrowed her eyes.

Shinichi slammed her hands on the table, pushing herself up. People looked to her, startled by her sudden outburst. She ignored their stares and glared at Vermouth. "What ever you're doing, leave everybody out of it."

Vermouth lit her lighter. She brought the flame up to the cigarette in her mouth. "You can't tell me what to do, Silver-chan."

"I can take out my mobile and call the police." Shinichi threatened. Aoko's eyes widened and Kaito shifted away from Vermouth at the comment.

Vermouth just snickered. "Aww. Look what you did, Silver-chan. Now your friends are scared of me."

Shinichi gritted her teeth and grabbed Kaito and Aoko's wrist. She pulled them out of the restaurant, away from Vermouth.

"I'll see the boy soon!" She called as they ran out the door. "Kaito. Kaitou. Hmph." She ignored everyone's odd looks and sat back down normally. "Waitress, I'm ready to order now."

* * *

"Shinichi! Please, slow down!" Aoko tripped trying to keep up with Shinichi, who was out of the restaurant, but not far enough away from it.

"Geez, Shinichi. What the heck was that back at the restaurant?" Kaito asked lagging behind her.

Shinichi slowed down to a stop and let go of their wrist. They both rubbed there wrists. Shinichi's grip was strong. "Sorry. I was scared she would do something."

"You said you were gonna call the police on her." Aoko sounded scared. Shinichi sighed. She took out her mobile and looked for Haibara's number. "Are you doing that now?" She asked looking over her shoulder.

"No." Shinichi turned to a clearly distressed Aoko. "Don't worry. She's harmless." She smiled warmly, coating her lie in sugar.

"I see..." Aoko sigh and smiled. "That's a relief."

Kaito frowned. "You didn't seem too comfortable with her."

"I wasn't. That doesn't mean I should call the police on her. What I said was a loose threat. Don't worry about it." She hit call next to Haibara's name. "Excuse me."

The phone rang three times. "_What misfortune did you bring this time?"_

"Haha, Haibara" Shinichi replied sarcastically. "That's really funny." Kaito and Aoko stared at Shinichi in confusion.

"_Why else would you call me?_" There was a sound of a page flipping, and Shinichi guessed she was reading a fashion magazine or something like that.

Shinichi turned away from her two new, curious friends and quietly spoke, "She was there."

Silence filled the line. "_Her? As in Vermouth? Where? Was she at the heist?_"

"It didn't start yet. She was at a restaurant. She said she would see Kaitou Kid later on."

"_What does that mean?"_

"I think I know. I'm just not sure why."

"_Oh, please. Do share._"

Shinichi sighed pushing the nosy Aoko and Kaito away from her conversation. She glared at them, telling them to quit it. They didn't. "I'm a little busy."

_"Of course you are."_

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"_Nothing_."

"Whatever. I'll call you later."

"_I'll hold you to that_." Haibara said before she hung up.

Shinichi turned off her phone and frowned at Kaito and Aoko. They avoid her eyes. "Stop trying to eavesdrop on my conversation."

"But you were talking about that lady." Aoko reasoned. "I was just wondering what you were saying about her." Shinichi sighed.

"What was that about Kaitou Kid?" Kaito asked, trying to sound casual.

Shinichi zipped up her jacket. "None of your business. You're not Kid, so why does it matter?" Shinichi smirked as Kaito pouted.

_Now you're just screwing with me, Meitantei-chan_, Kaito thought dejectedly. "Anyway," Shinichi checked her watch, "there's only fifteen minutes until the show starts. I want a front seat, so I'm going early." She looked up at the Suzuki skyscraper in front of her.

"So am I!" Aoko said, tagging along with Shinichi.

"Count me in!" Kaito smiled childishly.

"Alright." Shinichi walked into the building, watching Kaito's every move. They rode the elevator up. It was a silent, awkward ride. Aoko tried to provide some comments about the weather or how Kid was finally going to be captured tonight. Shinichi smiled in response to everything she commented.

The elevator stopped with a ding. The three friends exited out into a hallway. It was fancy. The carpet looked expensive and foreign. There were side tables set next to every room, each holding a vase with beautiful flowers in them.

"Wow." Aoko look around in awe. "This place is so cool!" She ran down the hallway, looking for the door that held Kid's next target. She found it withing seconds and motioned for Shinichi and Kaito.

Shinichi glanced at her watch as she entered the large display room. 10:48. She tapped Kaito on his shoulder getting his attention. "Hey," she smirked again, "there are a total of three detectives here. Hakuba, Aoko, and me."

"You count Aoko as a detective?" He asked giving her a weird look. She pointed at the spiky hair girl. Aoko was examining every window, door, and vent that was in the room. Her eyes held determination. She wanted Kid caught. Badly. Kaito turned back to Shinichi. "I see what you mean."

She leaned against the wall. "What's your master plan?" She smiled happily at him.

Kaito scoffed, but was actually starting to get excited. When Hakuaba pestered him about being Kid, it was annoying. When Shinichi did it, he felt privileged. He could go up against her and she wouldn't tell his secret. It would ruin her fun too if she did.

"I have no idea what your talking about, Shin-chan~" He teased.

Shinichi rolled her eyes and frowned. "I told you to stop calling me that."

"It suits you, though."

"How so?"

"Well, your always looking for the truth."

"One truth." She countered [2].

"There can be more than one truth." Kaito leaned against the wall, next to Shinichi. He took out a deck of cards and began to quickly shuffle them.

Shinichi shook her head. "There's only one truth. It's either you killed him or you didn't."

Kaito stared at Shinichi with a disturbed look. She spent way too much time playing detective. "That got morbid quick." He sighed, did a card spring, and said, "I guess there's only one truth. But there can also be multiple sides to one truth." He put his deck of cards away.

"Huh?"

"Nothing."_ Beep, beep, beep_. Shinichi's watch's alarm went off at that moment. She looked at it and grabbed Kaito's arm. "What?"

"Time to shine." She held up her wrist, showing Kaito it was 10:58.

Kaito smirked. "Why are you holding on to me, Shin-chan? Don't tell me you've fallen for me?"

Shinichi suppressed a blush and let him go. "I've been debating with myself since the mall incident. Kid's heists are fun. They're nothing like homicides. They let me relax and think without having to worry about letting a murderer get away."

"In other word..." He trailed off, letting a goofy smile show on his face.

"You're good to go." She let go of his arm.

He grinned and held out his hand. The queen of hearts appeared in it. "I'll see you on the roof."

Shinichi smiled and took the card, but she frowned on the inside. Vermouth's threat still hung in the air. The power went out, just as the clock stuck eleven.

"I have no idea what your talking about, Kuroba Kaito."

* * *

[1] Grilled Eel  
[2] I already told you "shin" means "truth." Well "ichi" is numeral "one" in Japanese. "Shinichi" would be "One truth."

A/N: Advancing the story is difficult...


	12. Revisit

Vermouth watched as the lights in the display room went off. She sighed_. Kid needs to add more to his act than just power outage_s, she thought to herself rolling her eyes. _Toichi was more fun than you, Kuroba Kaito_. She chuckled to herself, remembering the first Kid. He was a charmer, all while still being loyal to his lover, Chikage.

She narrowed her eyes at Kaito, who ran out of the room, threw down a smoke bomb, and changed uniforms. "How nostalgic..." She trailed off, eyeing the white suit, top hat, and monocle. "I just hope it won't get too nostalgic." A gun was swiftly pulled out of her pocket. She played with the cigarette in her mouth while loading it.

"Hope you have a plan to stop me, Silver-chan." Vermouth mumbled, going to the edge of the building. She turned away from the heist activity and faced a small bird across from her, a few buildings away. She raised the gun, aiming at the little bird's heart.

_Thud! _The silencer attached to the gun quieted the noise. The little bird had fallen off the roof and landed on, presumably, a balcony. Vermouth held a blank expression. "Poor thing." She said with no remorse.

"_Oi!_ Y-You're too close!" Vermouth looked to the voice. Shinichi and Kid were on the roof, and Shinichi's was beet red. Kaito held his own little blush, leaning over the girl and backing her up against a wall. One of those dumb scenes you would see in a shoujo manga[1].

Kid scrambled to get away from Shinichi. His blush had worsened and now spread to his ears. "You were the one who kicked those damn soccer balls at me!" He gritted his teeth.

"You basically tackled me!"

"Do you know how much those soccer balls hurt!? I really did not want to get hit with one!"

Vermouth frowned and took off the silencer. She raised her gun. "It's a shame I have to be the one to do this. It's a shame that this has to happen. I was hoping you two would have cute, spiky haired children." She steadied her shaking hand._ Aim for his chest. _

His innocent, blue eyes, left Shinichi for a second and turned to her. As if his instincts had told him to. He caught sight of the gun and his eyes widened.

_("What ever you're doing, leave everybody out of it.")_

"Sorry Shinichi." She pulled the trigger.

* * *

"Damnit, Kaitou Kid!" Nakamori yelled as glue and feathers rained down on him. Kid's laugh echoed around the hall, but he's was no where to be seen. "Where are you!?"

_Boom! _Glitter exploded, covering the room. Officers were blinded. Hakuba cursed. Aoko, Ran, and Sonoko shrieked, but Kid made sure that they retrieved the less extravagant end of the deal. They were only lightly sprinkled, while everyone else was coated in several layer (especially Hakuba and Nakamori).

Kid watched the chaos unfold through an air vent. He snickered again, letting his laughter resound into the hall. He quickly exited the vent as another one of his traps was activated. He ran into the display room, grabbing his prize. The Blue Sun Sapphire.

He examined the jewel. It was a sharp, pacific blue color and roundish. The center seemed to become more and more florescent. It reminded Kid of a certain detective's eyes. "Ne, where'd you disappear to, Meitantei-chan?"

"Right behind you." She coughed. Kid turned around and nearly exploded from laughter.

Kid smirked, "My, my, Meitantei-chan. You should fix your hair like that more often~" Shinichi scoffed. Her hair was sticking up everywhere. It was colored with various shades of glitter.

"Shut it Kid." She snarled, aiming her watch at him.

"What are you doing?" Kid tilted his head, "Telling me the time?" He was confused until a familiar aiming pad flipped out of Shinichi's watch. He jumped back, missing the knock out needle by inches. "The hell!? I thought that watch was reserved for Tantei-chan!?"

"Conan isn't the only one who knows a crazy, old inventor." Shinichi stated shooting another needle. Kid ran out of the room, not wanting to get hit. Shinichi was quick to follow. The roof was waiting.

Kid burst though the roof door, panting. His adrenaline was pumping causing him to feel jumpy and excited. Then again, who wouldn't be? Mentantei-chan was chasing him, and she was definantly quick on her feet.

She ran through the door seconds after Kid did. A lot of glitter had fallen out of her hair due to her sprinting so fast. She smirked. "Wanna give that jewel back yet?"

Kid copied her expression. He spun the gem on his finger. "Not yet, Meitantei-chan~ Have patience."

Shinichi's hand went down to a button on her belt. "I'm not very patient, Kid."

"That's too bad." He threw the gem up and caught it between his pointer finger and thumb. He held it up to the last full moon of the month. "Hmm."

"Not it?" Shinichi asked.

Kid shook his head. "But," He smiled innocently, "I think I wanna keep this one!" He took The Blue Sun Sapphire and stuffed it into his empty pocket.

"_What?_" Shinichi was confused. "Why!?"

"It's pretty." Kid grinned like an idiot. "It reminds me of the ocean!" _And your eyes, Meitantei-chan._

Shinichi frowned. "I'll paint you a picture of the ocean, so give it back." She held out her hand as if she expected him to just hand it over, like a good little thief. Kid shook his head, still smiling. Shinichi's eyes held annoyance in them. "Don't make me use force, Kid."

"What kind of force, Meitantei-chan?" He teased.

Shinichi smirked suddenly causing Kid's spine to shiver with excitement and fear. "I'm glad you asked." She pressed the button on her belt and a soccer ball popped out, giving Kid terrible deja vu. She kicked the ball at him with her unglowing shoes. He dodged just in time.

The soccer ball flew past his face, missing it by inches. Not as powerful as Tantei-chan's super shoes, but still just as deadly. Shinichi kept them coming. Each ball getting closer and closer to hitting him.

One went awry and nearly hit him when no male wanted to be hit. Shinichi snickered, clearly enjoying the horrific show. That is, until she kicked one more soccer ball and Kid jumped out of the way, tripped, and nearly landed on her.

He used the wall to stop himself. _Inches from Shinichi's face._ Kid's large hands were close to her shoulders making Shinichi stiffen. His leg was in between her legs, most likely like that to stop himself from head butting her.

They stared at each other, unsure what to do, how to react. In that moment, Shinichi really realized how dazzling Kid's eyes were. Purple with tones of blue. Indigo. With that slight glare of mischief, but still child-like and innocent. She blushed.

Even with pounds of glitter in her hair, Shinichi still looked really pretty. Kid looked to Shinichi's lips, already knowing how unique and brilliant her eyes were. They were a soft pink. Somewhat plump, but still small. He wondered how they would feel_. N-Not on my lips,_ he convinced himself. _On my cheek or something..._

Snapping back into her senses, Shinichi shook her head and shouted, "_Oi!_ Y-You're too close!" She squeezed her eyes shut, pushing him away slightly, but with no luck.

Kid fell out of his trance and stumbled, getting away from Shinichi. His face was completely red. "You were the one who kicked those damn soccer balls at me!" He tried to lessen the blame on him. _But, you enjoyed that, didn't you?_ A sly voice inside his conscious asked him.

"You basically tackled me!" Shinichi countered, pulling Kid out of his embarrassing thoughts. She leaned against the wall for support. Her body felt weak and hot. Her heart was pounding.

"Do you know how much those soccer ball hurt!?" A cold wind swept past him, making Kid feel strange. "I really did not want to get hit with one!" Shinichi frowned and yelled at him again, but Kid subconsciously blocked her out. Something wasn't right. He felt as if a deadly presence was watching them.

A flash of silver caught his eye. He looked at the roof, opposite of them and saw the barrel of a gun. Pointed at them. His eyes widened. _No. Not her._

The shot rang out just as Kid tackled Shinichi to the ground. "Watch out!" He yelled, holding Shinichi close.

Shinichi froze. "No..." She whispered, terrified. "No, _no! _" She looked to the sound of the gun. Her blonde hair was unmistakable. She pointed the gun again. It was aimed at Kid. _His chest_. "**Stop!**" She yelled in English and pushed Kid away with all her strength. He fell on the ground, away from her, unharmed. Shinichi sighed in relief.

"Shinichi!" Kid yelled. He had a pained expression on his face. Shinichi was confused. _He didn't get shot... Please, God, tell me he didn't get shot. _

Kid shifted to the side, letting another bullet barely miss him. He quickly jumped to his feet and scooped Shinichi up. She cringed. _My leg... _She thought, _why does it sting so badly? _She looked down and her eyes darkened. A little hole was in bedded in her left thigh.

Kid ran behind the roof door. The shooting stopped. He dropped to the ground, letting Shinichi lean against him. He ripped off a piece of his cape and wrapped it around Shinichi's leg. She flinched.

"Sorry." Kid muttered. Once he was done wrapping her leg, his shoulders slumped and his arm dropped to the ground. "I'm so sorry." Shinichi looked at him, not sure what was even happening anymore. "Nobody gets hurt at my heist. Ha! That clearly isn't working out." He let out an empty, hollow laugh.

Shinichi stayed silent. What was she supposed to say. Thank you, and I'm glad you didn't get shot? Not happening. Kid looked around the roof door and at the building where the shooter was. He let a shaky breath out. "They're gone."

Shinichi shifted off of Kid. Kid looked at her. "Nakamori-keibu will come soon. You'll be alright."

Shinichi shook her head. "No. I'm not going to the hospital." She refused.

"What do you mean you're not going to the hospital!? " Kid asked, disgruntled. "You got shot, for God's sake!" Shinichi glared at him.

"Take me to Hakase's house." Shinichi commanded, stubbornly.

"Why and how!?"

"I hate hospitals and we'll go by your handglider." Shinichi replied calmly.

Kid frowned. "_No_. Who knows if that shooter is still out there waiting for us to come out."

"She's not," Shinichi looked to the ground. "She couldn't get off the building unless she went inside. She can't reach us while inside the building. And even if she found another way off, she would just come around and shoot us again." She explained.

"She?" Kid questioned. Shinichi swallows nervously. _Shit_.

"Yeah..." Shinichi trailed off, refusing eye contact.

"How do you know it was a girl?" Kid grabbed her cheeks and forced her too look up at him. "Do you know who it was?"

"No." Shinichi lied. "I just saw she had long hair."

"_Damnit, Shinichi! _I know you're lying! Just tell me!" He growled causing Shinichi to shrink back. There was nurmerous footsteps getting closer. The taskforce was climbing the stairs.

"Get me away from here and I'll tell you!" Shinichi yelled back. Nakamori could be heard, roaring at his force to hurry up. He probably could hear the two teens yelling at each other.

Kid clenched his fists. "Tell me now!"

"Get us away, first!"

They glared at each other, challenging their options. Kid broke. "Fine." He picked her up bridal style and ran to the edge. "Hold on and you better tell me who shot at us, or so help me-"

"What are you doing, Kaitou Kid!?" Nakamori slammed the door open and pointed at him accusingly. "Let her go!"_ Maybe he didn't hear me yelling at Kid to get me away_, Shinichi rethought.

Kid shook his head. "Sorry, Nakamori-keibu. It's on her request." He looked down at Shinichi.

"_What!?_" Nakamori questioned loudly. The task force looked at each other, confused. "What are you-"

"Just for tonight," Shinichi interrupted, calmly, "let him go." She raised her wrapped leg showing the inspector the reason. She stared at the whole force, her gaze making them unsure about their life choices.

"Shall we go Meitantei-chan?" Kid asked, still frowning, but trying to ease the tense atmosphere.

Shinichi smirked and nodded. "Go ahead, Kaitou Kid."

Kid jumped off the roof with Shinichi in his arms. He opened his handglider and headed for Beika, leaving the dazed task force and trails of glitter behind.

* * *

Vermouth stared at her phone. "What do I tell him?" She asked herself. "He out maneuvered me?" She shook her head and took a sip of her vermouth. Inside the old building, she sat alone with the silver gun on the table.

"I won't tell him about Silver-chan. I refuse to." She tapped the table. _Tap, tap, tap..._

"I could've easily jumped to the next building and shot them." _Tap, tap tap..._

"But I couldn't risk her being killed."_ Tap, tap, tap..._

"It already sucks that I shot her leg. Damn thief, thinking I was going to hurt her." _Tap, tap, tap..._

Vermouth sighed and leaned back in her chair. It creaked in protest. She stared at the gun. "Hmm..." She swiftly pulled out the magazine and unloaded the bullets. They fell to the ground, noise echoing around the empty room. "Let's just say he's very quick on his feet and difficult to hit."

She grabbed the phone on the table. Hitting the buttons created a childish melody, Nanatsu no Ko[2]. The phone rang for a few second before a voice answered, "_Vermouth?"_

"Sorry, Boss. I screw up." Vermouth drained her glass of vermouth.

* * *

[1] Girl manga (If you don't know what manga is, how and why are you reading my story?)  
[2] Seven Children, Japanese children's song

A/N: I suck a naming jewels...  
I completely forgot about Ran and Sonoko last chapter...  
And my story is bipolar, switching from fluffy, to serious, to lighthearted...

_Anyway, _I'm in the middle of a big move, and that's why I haven't been able to update. I'm still in the middle of a big move, but will try my best to update at a constant pace. And that's also why I haven't been able to respond to anyone's review... I will though... Now.


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